Exploring human aging via elephant research

Published

2 years ago

August 4, 2023

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Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM Aug 4 2023

Indiana University researcher Daniella Chusyd is studying human aging in an unlikely way: through elephants.

Humans and elephants have similar lifespans, with elephants capable of living into their early 70s. Chusyd wants to determine how different elephant species live so long without the benefit of medicine and science. Her research also aims to better understand the impact human activities can have on elephant health and aging, which can inform strategies and policies that allow humans and elephants to coexist.

Elephants and humans are similar in some key characteristics, such as lifespan and sociality, but they took very different evolutionary paths. If we can identify some of the unique strategies that have evolved in elephants, we can better understand healthy human aging, too."

Daniella Chusyd, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health-Bloomington, Indiana University

Elephants have approximately 20 copies of the TP53 gene -; also known as the "guardian of the genome" -; when most other mammals, including humans, have just one. This makes them more sensitive to detecting DNA damage and less likely to grow tumors or develop cancer. The gene is also involved in general aging processes, so understanding its role is helpful to Chusyd.

Over the past six years, including during her time as a postdoctoral researcher at IU, Chusyd's research has taken her to Africa -; specifically Zambia, Republic of Congo and Uganda. She studies the factors that have impacted elephants' health and aging, such as early-life trauma, pollutants and the role of human activities. Her work focuses on both species of African elephants, savanna and forest.

Illegal poaching and human-elephant conflict have long plagued elephant populations, but the lasting implications of experiencing such trauma is not known. In Zambia, Chusyd is comparing orphaned elephants to those living in intact families to determine the long-term health and behavioral effects of experiencing early-life trauma. This research is funded by the National Institute on Aging and in collaboration with Game Rangers International.

"We know children who experience early-life adversity are, on average, at increased risk for later-life diseases and a shorter lifespan," Chusyd said. "Elephant calves are similar to children in that they rely on their family for stability, support, reassurance, learning and all the things needed to be a successful elephant. They are highly social, display a range of emotions and have exceptional long-term memory, so we want to know whether there are similar long-term implications in elephants who experience traumatic events early in life as well."

Chusyd and her team investigate this through a natural experiment, where some elephants randomly became orphans while others did not. Orphaned elephants do not have the intergenerational transfer of trauma that is often observed in other mammal populations, specifically humans. This helps the researchers untangle the impacts of traumatic events on health outcomes, pace of aging and behavior.

In addition to studying the orphaned elephants, many of which are still under human care due to age, GPS collars have also been placed on 10 non-orphaned elephants. An app on Chusyd's phone allows her to monitor their location in real time. Her team films each elephant's actions to gather behavioral data; collects dung and urine samples for hormone analyses, parasite load and microbiome; and collects small skin samples to test for DNA methylation and gene expression. Combined, the data gives Chusyd a holistic view of each elephant's health. Related StoriesUVA researchers discover key driver of chronic inflammation that accelerates agingDealcoholized muscadine wine may improve skin elasticityResearchers develop a chemical approach to reverse aging

Chusyd also works out of the Makerere University Biological Field Station in Uganda's Kibale National Park. The Ugandan Albertine Rift is the largest known hybrid zone, where African forest and savanna elephants crossbreed. Hybridization is a widespread phenomenon and can have important evolutionary and ecological consequences. Chusyd and her team are investigating how hybridization contributes to elephant physiology, and they hope to ultimately understand whether a more diverse genetic makeup increases physiological or behavioral flexibility in the elephants' rapidly changing environment.

Alec Iruri-Tucker, a graduate student in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington, is in Uganda through August collecting elephant dung to assess the prevalence of microplastics and the presence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

"Seeing elephants, either in the forest or in the savanna, is something that never loses its charm," Iruri-Tucker said. "While the process may sound less charming, a lot can be learned from collecting their dung.

"Through analysis, we can gain insight into their health, as well as the ways that humans are impacting their environment, such as the presence of microplastics or pollutants that elephants may have ingested. This is important for understanding the relationship that humans have with the environment and the health outcomes for both humans and animals."

Through the years, human populations and activities have severely reduced forest elephant distribution and abundance. Central Africa is the major remaining habitat for forest elephants, but on the periphery of protected areas, human populations are rapidly expanding and relying on agriculture. This has led to increased occurrences of elephants eating farmers' crops, known as crop raiding. In Congo, Chusyd is collaborating with the Wildlife Conservation Society to understand the conditions that drive elephant crop raiding and get the buy-in of people living with and among elephants.

Here, her team can visually identify over 500 elephants and track their movements in various ways -; including by footprint, mucus drops and transference of mud from their body to a tree -;to find and collect their dung, which can be used for further testing.

Recently, Chusyd began studying various pollutants that exist in Zambia to gain insight on how pollutants move within the environment through the elephants. She hopes to better understand whether certain elephants -; because of species, early-life adversity, age or sex -; are more capable of tolerating and handling environmental pollutants than others.

Chusyd hopes her research can also help advise conservation policy in Africa. The GPS collars, for example, show where "elephant highways" exist, which can inform decisions about area infrastructure improvements. Her research on pollutants can demonstrate what humans may also be ingesting, affecting their health.

"If we can gain a better understanding of how elephants are using their space and what they are getting from it, we can look at smarter ways to build or use the environment such that everyone can coexist in the best way possible," Chusyd said. "My intention is that this research can help inform policies and decisions that impact all individuals -; people, elephants and other species -; who use the land."

Chusyd is looking at ways to expand her research in Africa, and she plans to return later this year to train field and research assistants in new methodologies. But what she looks most forward to is returning to the elephants and watching them thrive in their natural habitat.

"There aren't many things that can top watching 100 or 200 elephants all in one place at the same time interacting with one another -; from little babies playing and chasing off birds to the adults," Chusyd said. "It is such an incredible experience to be a fly on the wall in their world, and I'm unbelievably grateful for the opportunities my research has allowed." Source:

Indiana University

UK

Sir Keir Starmer could be ousted as PM within months, two senior Labour MPs tell Sky News

Published

16 mins ago

July 3, 2025

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Sir Keir Starmer could be ousted as PM within months, two senior Labour MPs tell Sky News

Two senior Labour MPs have suggested the prime minister may have to go within months if the government continues to perform poorly.

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates said his sources – a member of the government and a prominent politician – have “put Sir Keir Starmer on notice”.

Both warned that, if Labour performs badly in next May’s elections across Wales, Scotland and London, it could mark the end of his time in Downing Street.

Coates added: “The level of unhappiness and despair in parts of the Labour Party is so striking that right now, on the first anniversary, I am hearing from ministers in government that Starmer might have to go in months.”

Reform UK is surging in the polls in Wales, while Labour faces a threat from left-wing parties such as the Greens in London.

It comes as the prime minister made it clear that Rachel Reeves has his “complete support” as chancellor and remains integral to his project, Sky News’s political editor Beth Rigby understands.

She looked visibly upset during Prime Minister’s Questions, with a spokesperson claiming she had been affected by a “personal matter”.

A day earlier, Sir Keir’s controversial welfare bill was passed despite a sizeable rebellion from Labour MPs, with major U-turns meaning a new £5bn black hole has appeared in the country’s finances.

One senior figure told Rigby that the pair were as “as close politically” as any chancellor and prime minister have ever been.

“She is going absolutely nowhere,” they added.

Ms Reeves’s tears sent markets spiralling, with the value of the pound and long-term government bonds falling sharply.

Later in the day Sir Keir, said Ms Reeves will be chancellor for a “very long time to come”.

The prime minister said it was “absolutely wrong” to suggest her tearful appearance in the Commons related to the welfare U-turn.

“It’s got nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with what’s happened this week. It was a personal matter for her,” he said while speaking to the BBC’s podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson.

“I’m not going to intrude on her privacy by talking to you about that. It is a personal matter.”

Asked if she will remain in post, he said: “She will be chancellor by the time this is broadcast, she will be chancellor for a very long time to come, because this project that we’ve been working on to change the Labour party, to win the election, change the country, that is a project which the chancellor and I’ve been working on together.”

He said Ms Reeves has done a “fantastic job” and added: “She and I work together, we think together. In the past, there have been examples – I won’t give any specific – of chancellors and prime ministers who weren’t in lockstep. We’re in lockstep.”

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, also offered a strong defence for the prime minister and chancellor.

He told Sky News this morning that Sir Keir has been “consistently underestimated” and was “of course” safe as prime minister.

And he said Ms Reeves was a “tough character” who was ” resilient” and “here to stay”.

UK

Greater Manchester Police investigating grooming cases with more than 700 victims

Published

16 mins ago

July 3, 2025

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Greater Manchester Police investigating grooming cases with more than 700 victims

Despite making “significant improvements”, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has lost the “trust and confidence” of some victims of grooming gangs, according to a report by the police watchdog.

Michelle Skeer, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said that since 2019, when GMP started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, “the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation”.

The document, published today, said police have live investigations into “multi-victim, multi-offender” child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects.

Grooming gangs scandal timeline

But despite recording improvements, a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) also identified:

• Various training gaps within the investigation team
• Lack of consistency in evaluating case files between social care, health and police
• Failures to initially support victims meant they had “lost trust and confidence” in police

The report was commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in 2024 to evaluate whether police, councils and health services can protect children from sexual exploitation in the future.

Its release comes days after Sir Keir Starmer announced he was launching a new national inquiry into grooming gangs after previously arguing one was not necessary,

The findings were issued as the final part of the CSE (child sexual exploitation) Assurance Review process which started in 2017. The first three reports examined non-recent child sexual exploitation in Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale.

Mr Skeer said that the force has been trying to improve its service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation, but previous failings have badly affected trust in GMP.

He said: “For some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences.

“It is vital that improvements are led by victims’ experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.”

A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding though authorities are in “denial” more needs to be done to understand why this is the case.

Inspectors also said there were “training gaps” in some investigation teams and issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to “significant delays in investigations” into grooming gangs.

It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester City Council, which took months to arrive and “was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words”, the report said.

GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs. Called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT) it has about 100 staff and a ringfenced budget.

In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT.

The report adds: “The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past.

“It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.”

Separately, the Baird Inquiry published in July 2024 found officers at GMP were abusing their power – making unlawful arrests, unlawful and demeaning strip searches, sometimes treating victims as perpetrators, and traumatising those who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence.

UK

Wes Streeting defends chancellor and PM ahead of ‘seismic’ 10-year plan for NHS

Published

16 mins ago

July 3, 2025

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Wes Streeting defends chancellor and PM ahead of 'seismic' 10-year plan for NHS

The health secretary has offered a strong defence of the prime minister and chancellor – ahead of Sir Keir Starmer setting out his 10-year vision for the NHS.

PM ‘might have to go in months’ – politics latest

Wes Streeting dismissed suggestions the prime minister could be forced out in months following the toughest week of his premiership yet, and described Rachel Reeves as “resilient” and would “bounce back” following her tearful appearance in the Commons on Wednesday.

Overnight, two senior sources – a member of the government and a prominent politician – told Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates that they had “put Sir Keir Starmer on notice”.

The health secretary, who was speaking as Sir Keir prepares to set out his 10-year vision for the NHS, said the prime minister had been “consistently underestimated”.

Asked by Kamali Melbourne on Sky News Breakfast whether Sir Keir was “safe”, Mr Streeting said: “Of course.

“Keir Starmer has been consistently underestimated. I wonder when people will learn.

“They said he couldn’t win the Labour leadership, but he did. They said he couldn’t change the Labour Party, but he did.

“They said he couldn’t take the Labour Party from its worst defeat since the 1930s to election victory last year. And he did and now the cynics say he can’t change the country, but he will.”

As for Ms Reeves – whose tearful appearance in the Commons spooked markets after the prime minister initially failed to back her, Mr Streeting said the chancellor was a “tough character” who was “resilient and she will bounce back”.

The health secretary declined to expand on why Ms Reeves was in the chamber at all yesterday, repeating that it was a personal matter.

“Rachel Reeves as chancellor is here to stay,” he continued.

“We need her to get the economy from strength to strength, to make sure that family finances are in better health than we were when we came into office.”

Speculation about the futures of the two most senior members of the government threaten to overshadow the announcement today, which the government says is “one of the most seismic shifts” in the health service’s history.

Sir Keir will pledge three main facets of the plan: moving care into the community, digitising the NHS, and a focus on sickness prevention.

The prime minister will announce neighbourhood health services will be rolled out across England to improve access to the NHS and to shift care out of overstrained hospitals.

Sir Keir has already promised thousands more GPs will be trained, and to end the 8am “scramble” for an appointment.

He also previously said his government will bring the NHS into the digital age, with “groundbreaking” new tools to support GPs rolled out over the next two years – including AI to take notes, draft letters and enter data.

And he will promise new contracts that will encourage and allow GP practices to cover a wider geographical area, so small practices will get more support.

Unite, one of the UK’s largest healthcare unions, welcomed the plan cautiously but said staff need to be the focus to ensure people are better looked after.

‘Reform or die’

Sir Keir said: “The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.

“But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.

“That ends now. Because it’s reform or die.”

Neighbourhood health services

The newly announced neighbourhood health services will provide “pioneering teams” in local communities, so patients can more conveniently access a full range of healthcare services close to home.

Local areas will be encouraged to trial innovative schemes like community outreach door-to-door to detect early signs of illness and reduce pressure on GPs and A&E.

The aim is to eventually have new health centres open 12 hours a day, six days a week to offer GP services as well as diagnostics, post-operative care and rehab.

They will also offer services like debt advice, employment support, stop smoking help or weight management.

More NHS dentists

Dentists will also be part of the plan, with dental care professionals part of the neighbourhood teams.

Dental “therapists” will carry out check-ups, treatments and referrals, while dental nurses could give education and advice to parents or work with schools and community groups.

Newly qualified dentists will be required to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, which they have said will be three years.