Yes, by measuring the length of the telomeres of chromosomes , as a study by the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) published in the journal PNAS has just shown. Working with mandarin diamonds ( Taeniopygia guttata ), birds native to Australia, Pat Monaghan and his colleagues have shown that by measuring the length of telomeres periodically throughout the life of an animal, an association can be found between the length of these structures. -located at the end of the cell's chromosomes- and life expectancy. Specifically, in their experiments the best predictor of life expectancy has turned out to be the length of telomeres measured when the birds were 25 days old . An early measure taking into account that the life expectancy in the 99 specimens studied ranged from 210 days to 9 years.
This is the first time that it has been shown that normal differences in telomere length can predict an individual's longevity. "Now we need to find out more about how early life conditions can influence telomere shortening patterns, as well as establish the relative importance of inherited and environmental factors," Monaghan explained. In addition, it remains to be clarified how this is done. they can apply the findings to humans.
