Dogs are one of the few animals that humans love to keep as pets. Today, there are over 300 breeds of dogs thriving across the globe. However, the human-dog bond is broken very early due to the shorter lifespan of dogs. They live about 10-12 years on average before leaving this world, while the owner is left with a gaping hole in his heart.
However, a new study is searching for methods to extend the lifespan of dogs on earth. The Dog Aging Project is backed by the University of Washington and Texas A&M University. It aims to understand how genes, lifestyle, and environment influence aging.
Can Dog Aging Project help dogs live longer?
The Dog Aging Project collects samples of blood, urine, tissue, and hair to understand what’s going inside the body of the animal. It helps them understand the current health status and predict the ailments which the dog could have in the future. They are even studying smaller and specific groups to identify different diseases and how they respond to treatment.
Once that is done, The Dog Aging Project will also try anti-aging drugs on the dogs and understand their body’s responses. This study could play a key role in developing anti-aging medicines which could be used on humans later on. It is a far-fetched idea at this point, but over 40,000 dog owners have enrolled their pets in the study.
The Dog Aging Project isn’t the only study aiming to understand anti-aging techniques. Elon Musk’s Neuralink programs successfully implanted a chip in a monkey using which it was able to play a computer game. Neuralink could be life-changing for humans with a spinal injury who cannot move a muscle. Similarly, doctors successfully implanted a pig’s heart in a human. It worked for a few days before the individual showed signs of deterioration and then passed away.
All these projects might deliver results immediately, but scientists are trying to understand the human body like never before. The Dog Aging Project is one such attempt that, if works, could save the lives of thousands of dogs.
