Overview
- Peer-reviewed findings in Communications Biology report an association between stronger male social bonds and reduced epigenetic age in wild bottlenose dolphins.
- Researchers analyzed 50 skin samples from 38 individuals in Shark Bay, Western Australia, using DNA methylation markers to estimate biological age.
- Dolphins with a few close relationships showed slower cellular aging than loners, and individuals in larger groups tended to age faster, suggesting quality over quantity.
- The study focused on males because their alliances are long-lasting and well-documented, whereas female bonding patterns are more fluid and driven by offspring.
- Authors, led by Livia Gerber of UNSW and CSIRO, frame the results as correlational and call for broader tests across sexes and other social mammals with implications for animal welfare.