Can bowhead whales with their 200-year lifespan help us to slow ageing?

Researchers find the longest-living mammal is particularly good at fixing faulty DNA - and cold water may help

With a maximum lifespan of more than 200 years, the bowhead whale lives longer than any other mammal. But how the 80-tonne beasts survive so long has never been fully explained.

Now scientists have found hints of an answer and are drawing up plans to see whether the same biological trick can be performed in humans. If so, it raises hopes for boosting healthy ageing and protecting organs and tissues during surgery and transplantations, they say.