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194 Years Old: The DNA Powers of Jonathan the Giant Tortoise 🐢🧬

From the podcast Fun Kids Science Quest

·27:27

Welcome to Science Quest! 🚀 This week, we are honoring a hero working dog in Scotland, diving down to the world’s oldest shipwreck, and unlocking the secret to living nearly two centuries with a 194-year-old giant tortoise!

  • 🐕 Scotland’s Hero Hound: Award time! A working dog in Scotland has officially been named Animal of the Year. Discover how working dogs use their incredible senses to rescue stranded people, track rare wildlife, and protect rural communities.

  • ⚓ The World’s Oldest Shipwreck: Deep sea discovery! Marine archaeologists off the coast of Turkey have uncovered the world’s oldest known shipwreck, buried under the seafloor for thousands of years. Learn how high-tech submersibles scan ancient artifacts preserved deep underwater.

  • 🐢 The 194-Year-Old Tortoise: Dr. Stephen Clark joins Dan to share staggering news about Jonathan, a giant tortoise living on the island of St. Helena who has reached 194 years old! Discover what cheek-swab DNA tests reveal about his cell-repair superpowers and how his genes might help humans live longer.

  • 🍎 Digestive System Journey: Etta asks a classic body question: what actually happens to food after you take a bite? We track a meal's journey through chewing enzymes, stomach acid cauldrons, and intestinal energy absorbers!

  • 🪨 Where Do Rocks Come From? David Dobson from UCL answers Rocco’s geological question: why does planet Earth have rocks everywhere? Discover how molten magma, cooling crusts, and crushed sediments formed Earth's solid surface billions of years ago.

  • 🐟 Dangerous Dan: Meet Dunkleosteus! Step back into prehistoric oceans to meet an armored, bus-sized fish that didn't even have teeth—instead, it used razor-sharp, self-sharpening bone plates that snapped shut with the force of a modern T. Rex bite!

  • 🧠 Brain Box: Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod steps into the Brain Box to explore how bones, skeletons, and physical adaptations have transformed animals over millions of years of evolution.

Subscribe to Science Quest to explore ancient shipwrecks, meet 194-year-old tortoises, and dodge armored prehistoric sea monsters! 🎙️✨

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