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January 23, 2026<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Dolphins with more close friends age more slowly<\/p>\n A study of dolphins\u2019 epigenetic ages found that animals with more high-quality friendships were biologically younger than their lonely peers<\/p>\n By Hasmik Kirakosyan edited by Tanya Lewis<\/span><\/p>\n Male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, are known to form close bonds with each other.<\/p>\n Auscape\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n Watching dolphins play can evoke wonder and admiration. While these delightful bonds may seem fleeting, a subset of dolphins form complex alliances based on strong, lifelong friendships. And these bonds may slow aging, a recent study suggests.<\/p>\n To explore that association, researchers drew on more than four decades of behavioral observations of a well-studied group of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia. The new research showed that social relationships influenced the pace of biological aging in the dolphins.<\/p>\n The Shark Bay bottlenose dolphins form lifelong relationships that form some of the most intricate social structures in the animal world. Among these dolphins, males with close social bonds spend much of their time together, often traveling, foraging, mating and resting in the same groups.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n Within the Shark Bay population, the researchers focused on 38 male dolphins with precisely known chronological ages. The team collected skin samples from the dolphins to measure DNA methylation patterns\u2014biochemical modifications that determine which genes are activated\u2014in order to estimate their biological ages. These patterns were analyzed by multiple epigenetic clocks, the gold-standard tool for estimating biological age. The main clock that was used in the study was a version that the team calibrated specifically for the Shark Bay dolphin population to measure regular changes in chemical markers on DNA that accumulate over the course of a lifetime.<\/p>\n \u201cAging is a complex process that includes DNA damage [such as] double-strand DNA breaks\u2014it\u2019s not just the mitochondria working faster or being exhausted or suddenly having a lot of mutations,\u201d says the study\u2019s lead author Livia Gerber.<\/p>\n Then a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Gerber and her team found that dolphins with stronger long-term social partnerships were biologically younger than their more solitary counterparts, as measured by epigenetic markers.<\/p>\n In contrast, evidence shows that positive social interactions in dolphins and other animals are associated with the release of oxytocin, a hormone associated with social bonding and well-being.<\/p>\n \u201cThis research suggests that, across mammals, social bonds may buffer against stress and reduce aging rates,\u201d says Ashley Barratclough, a conservation medicine veterinarian at National Marine Mammal Foundation in California, who was not involved in the study.<\/p>\n It\u2019s noteworthy that the quality of relationships, rather than simply social group size, affected the Shark Bay dolphins\u2019 epigenetic aging. The type of social interaction also matters because large social groups could, paradoxically, have a negative effect on dolphins\u2019 aging, Barratclough says. \u201cImproving our understanding of these mechanisms could help with the conservation of these species,” she adds.<\/p>\n The research suggests that the quality of dolphins\u2019 relationships has a direct bearing on their aging process. Like humans, the cetaceans thrive when they feel cherished and have a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January 23, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Dolphins with more close friends age more slowly A study of dolphins\u2019 epigenetic ages found that animals with more high-quality friendships were biologically younger than their lonely peers By Hasmik Kirakosyan edited by Tanya Lewis Male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Shark Bay, Western<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[2822,1083,4039,5064,16758],"class_list":{"0":"post-42579","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-age","9":"tag-close","10":"tag-dolphins","11":"tag-friends","12":"tag-slowly"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
Social isolation can expose animals to prolonged stress. And ongoing exposure to the stress hormone cortisol negatively affects health in many animals, including humans. Social animals such as dolphins thrive in a social context, Gerber says. If they lack that social network, \u201cthat puts a lot of stress on their bodies, which makes them age faster,\u201d she says.<\/h6>\n
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