Very Special Animals – Riddle of the Naked Mole Rat

Il is not beautiful, but not without value. This little monster with long teeth and wrinkled translucent skin, with a genetic code close to humans, has powers that we don’t have. It is long-lived, does not age, resists disease, does not fear pain, and does not need much oxygen. Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), with unusual characteristics that result from extreme adaptations to subterranean life, has fascinated zoologists for at least half a century. It also arouses considerable interest in the field of biomedical research, due to its extraordinary longevity, but also its impressive faculties which may be relevant for several human diseases, in particular ischemia lesions (lack of oxygenation of ce. ..