The Greenland shark is ugly. Its eyes look cloudy and dead. Its snout and fins are stubby. Its meat is poisonous. And that may be part of why most people have overlooked these sharks for so long. But there was a rumor circulating among Greenland villagers that this deepsea dweller could survive for centuries. Scientist John Steffensen went on a hunt to see if this was true and discovered that the Greenland shark can live for more than 500 years, making it the longest living vertebrate on the planet. Biologist Steve Austad explains how the shark avoids death for so long and discovers that its secret to longevity comes at a cost. It seems that to live a longer life, it opts out of some of the best stuff life has to offer: adventure, friends and companionship.

Jonathan Moens is an independent journalist based in Rome. He reports on science, global health, climate change, migration, amongst other topics. He was formerly a reporting fellow with Lighthouse Reports covering food systems, surveillance and borders. In 2022, his work won the American Society of Journalists and Authors Awards for the science category, and in 2023 he contributed to a series that won the National Association of Black Journalists award. He’s fluent in English, French, Italian, and gets by with Spanish.

Learn more about the show, listen to music, and dig deeper into the stories you hear on Terrestrials with activities you can do at home or in the classroom on our website, Terrestrialspodcast.org.

-------

HEY GROWN-UPS!

Love the show? Leave us a rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us!

We're also looking for listener feedback! Share your thoughts with us here.

While you wait for the new season, subscribe to our weekly newsletter for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show. Sign up here.

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @terrestrialspodcast for behind-the-scenes extras and more.

Terrestrials is made possible in part by the generosity of listeners like you. Support the show by joining Radiolab’s membership program, The Lab—and we’ll send you a special thank you from our team!

-------

Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC Studios. This episode was produced by Brenna Farrell, and Mira Burt-Wintonick, with help from Alan Goffinski, Ana González, Tanya Chawla, Sarah Sandbach, Valentina Powers, and Joe Plourde. Fact-checking by Natalie Middleton. 

Our advisors are Ana Luz Porzecanski, Andy J. Pizza, Anil Lewis, Dominique Shabazz, Liza Demby, Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Tara Welty.

Support for Terrestrials also comes from the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The Kalliopeia Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation.