Why the Secret to Human Longevity May Be Hidden in Animals

Guest:

Dr. Steven N. Austad, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Biology at University of Alabama at Birmingham

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-austad-b31b5090/

Website: https://www.uab.edu/cas/biology/people/faculty/steven-n-austad

Alan Richardson, Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry & Physiology at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlan-richardson-357977b3/

Website: https://medicine.ouhsc.edu/directory/details/arlan-richardson-phd-1

_______________

What if some of the best clues to human longevity are already hidden across the animal kingdom?

Phil Newman sits down with aging researchers Steven Austad and Arlan Richardson to explore what decades of animal research can teach us about extending human healthspan.

Together they explain why mice remain valuable but imperfect models, and how bowhead whales, naked mole rats, bats and 500-year-old clams reveal different biological routes to longevity. They also discuss genetically diverse rats, dietary restriction, fasting and the challenge of translating laboratory discoveries into humans.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- Why mice alone cannot model human aging

- What exceptionally long-lived species reveal

- Why genetic diversity matters

- How fasting differs from chronic calorie restriction

- Why GLP-1s, proteomics and AI could accelerate longevity research

If you want to understand where longevity research goes next, this episode connects evolutionary biology with emerging human therapeutics.

Subscribe for weekly episodes that explore longevity science, preventative med

_______________

Host:

Phil Newman: https://qrco.de/bgXpNY