When Dwarf Lemurs Hibernate, Their Chromosomes Do Something Odd

The fat-tail dwarf lemur is one of the only primates that hibernate for the winter. A new study published in the journal Biology Letters takes a closer look at what’s going on inside lemur cells when they are in this extended phase of suspended animation. It turns out that their telomeres, the ends of the chromosomes, actually grow longer when the dwarf lemurs hibernate. Typically telomeres shorten as we age, as cells continuously divide. So, what exactly does this finding mean for lemurs and other primates, like humans?

Host Flora Lichtman talks with the co-authors of this study, Dr. Marina Blanco and Dr. Lydia Greene, research scientists at Duke University.

Further Reading

• We visited the Duke Lemur Center back in 2019. Check out the video!
• Read more about how telomere length can affect human cell aging via Stanford Medicine.
• Peruse a study about how longer telomeres may be a sign of heightened cancer risk via the NIH.