Kana ay EST ; (a CR es Cua emu ean} KS PURINA YourPet, Our Passion:NATIONAL ceocrapHic | FURTHER CONTENTS [rroor Portraits That Truly See Them A photographer col: laborates with a group of women to create images that challenge stereotypes of people with special needs. PHOTOGRAPHS BY Jexr.one Red, White, and Blue Zones This author found the world’s "blue zones” with the longestelived People-Now he’s uncovered aa Ameri can diet forlengevity. Lujén Aguisti She'photographs the underappreciated, suchaspeatlands that ‘act as carbon sinks. Spiders That Dream JANUARY 2023 On the Cover At 69, skydiving instructor ‘Arnold Camfferman stays active, one of the keys to longevity. As the world grows older, research into theile is soaring, Bestof the World Agtrips tick ap, theseinspiring desti- nationsoffer wonder, authenticity—and a chance'to support local communities. Living to the Limits Actor Chris Hemsworth tempts death to test ways of lengthening life, for a new National Geographic series. BY JACQUELINE CUTLER From Crab Shell to Battery| FEATURES ‘The Sciencé of Living Longer and Better 5 centérleg, humaos ddraame eterralyouth, Sined PHOTOGRAPHS BY re fe A For Love of Manatees After rebounding, they still facearave threats, ERIKA LARSEN... 70 The King of Mustang Will See You Now di ui I bit reboarding aTHE SCIENCE OF LONGEVITY FROMTHE EDITOR | What Longer Life Could Mean JANUARY asi waite, ivSon€ yeat to the day since my fatherdied, at theagé of 79 When yas grOwifigup, my dadwWasmy- role motel‘ myles fiendcfny teacher, my gonfidant. His Passing happened quick, a bounof peumonia turning ‘within daysinto systemic organ failure. It sHOOk me/ My family has been ‘blessed with some good longevity—I Vndwniy father’s grandparents, who fived tonitarly alhundred, and both my ‘mother’s parents lived well into their 90s—s6 perhaps I took it for granted that Fay dad had more time too. Scfehce has made tremendous prog- fessitthélping uslive longer. Since the dawn ofthe 20th century, human life expectancy has more than doubled, but formigeh ofthat time, research and ‘medical advances have mostly focused on mitigating and treating disease. I's ‘only more recently that attention has tirhédtoagihg itself and whetherthere are tings wegan do to slow down, Teverse, or othetywise- change the pro- cas. In this issue’Scoverstory, “hiving Longetand Better” you'll earn about everything from recombinant growth, hormone treatrtiehié to celhular repro- grammingafaseinating work thatshows promise—in'the foreseeable fature—to extend lives by decades. Tused tobe a littladismissive abour those who seek to “cute’\aging, but now I'm not so sure. As get older myself,’ love to think have not oft more timebut also higher quality years ahead of me. Youth might not exactly be wasted on the young, but! know there are lots of things Fd appreciate more deeply for experiencing them later in life ‘And particularly when I contem- plate this past year without my dad, I think about what a longer life could have meant for him and for those of BY NATHAN Lume us WH8 16Ve Hifi All the things he could have done and that we could have shared. Ten more years of con- versations with my dad? Heck, I'd take even one, We hope you enjoy the issue. UR My father, Edward Lump, often traveled to Washing- ton, DC, forhis work, and Inever missed an oppor. tunity to tag along when | could. Those tripe were a ‘reat education, and they count among my happiest Childhood memories, Here ‘we are, sometime in the 1980s, outside the Supreme Court buildingJANUARY FROM THE CEO OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ‘SOCIETY Embracing Ingenuity, Constantly Evolving IN 1929, A TEAM carrying a suff’com- pass and a National Geographic Society. flag soared above theAntarCtiowilder- nessin an extraoxdlinary scichtifiefeat. Explorer Richaf 2. Byrd led the perils ‘ous irs ight over the south Polevand. photographed atleast 1$6,000 square miles of Antatcti¢g albng the way. Nettrly a century later, glaciologist andNafiohal Geographic Explorer Ali- sof Cfiseitfelio embarked on her own aftiybud journey, harnessing technol- zy ini grueling conditions to unlock feérats of thie Earth's past and insights, ‘aboutttoday’s clintate challenges. She ‘ahd her teint ascended Canada’s high- dst pealeahd excavated an ige core con- {thining pethaps 30.000 years of data, 4s parn6f the National Geographicand, Rojéx Pefpetual Planet Mount Logan Expedition, The feat broke barriers for womentand science: “No deep ie core... his ever been dtilled any: where near an altitude like this on Criscitielosays. Ac the Society celebrates its 13sth aniversary this month, I'm reflecting onitha magazine's cover story topic: longevity. Decade afier decade, how does National Geographic éontinue to push the boundatieg of Knowledge? I believe the key .o 6ustayind power is our ongoingeoumitnéent to tackling bigchallenges harnessing the aritand vision of our Exploters>and embracing, the power of human Ingeituity. Guided by the Society’sstrategic plan, NG Next, here are thre@ways ‘we're moving into the future: + We're investing in Explorers work- ing to address and solve the global crises of our time, such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Several of them are featured in thisissue: Lun Agusti, using photojournalism to raise awareness about fragile landscapes (page 22); and James “Buddy” Powell, Erika Larsen, Jason Gulley, and Gena Steffens, using science, photography, and storytelling to seek protection for threatened manatees (page 70) + We're making exploration more inelue sive. We're tapping scientists, educators, and storytellers in more than .49eoune tries: amplifying the voices of Explorers who are Black, Indigenous, and other, people of color: and workingwith local communities: Half of our 2022 grants were awarded to women and morethan, ‘6opercentto recipients working outside the UnitedStates. ‘We're niaking exploration miore Par. ticipatoryrencouraging fhvolvement Tromglobal audiences—in citizerw soienee ad journelisin)live events, educational efforts; youth programs, sand nore; AS National Geographi@grects 2023, we're advancing science and inspiring curiosity in hundreds of millions of peo- ple worldwide. Please join us and help shape the next 135 years and beyond. ua jpfilhe Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO National Geographic SocietyLIVE BETTER LONGER with CHRIS HEMSWORTH > Coli r={rlesa ed Now streaming only on Po aPROOF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VOL. 243 NO. 1 PORTRAITS. THAT TRULY SKE-THEM PH RAPHS BY LOOKING ESTHER RUTH MBABAZI AT THE EARTH In Uganda, a photographer FROM laborates with w ho. EVERY have special needs to showcase POSSIBLE their individuality and creativity. ANGLE @ NATION. RAPHIC Lramrrenrtiey Perera mtn Porm erate rarer ener eePROOF THE BACKSTORY A PHOTOGRAPHER AND A GROUP OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES UNITE TO COMBAT STEREOTYPES For severat veaas?*fly onthe wall” was Esther Ruth Mbabazi’sapprodch. to photogfaphy. Beinyisible. Don't influefice the seene, Then, if2019, the 28AVear“old Uganda had anopportu- Aiby toclo just the opposites ‘That Shen Mbébazi learnedofithe ‘Gulgwoptep With DisabilitiesUnion acationatand social center itt small ‘city Veanda's north. Over one year, ‘she nade four tripsto Gulu ahd photo ‘graphed women she met, including a fad mine survivor missing aleg, adeal rhother of four,and a blind musician. /They posed in ¢ustom dresses, created JThe National Geographic Society hi ‘bya Kampale-based Wesigner, against backdrops of artand handiWork they Hpdimade, Whes Mbubaziaskedluhe swomen how they wanted tobe Seen} they.rold higteas.capable, equalyintcl figent. In othervords,aceorded the ignityithat Ugandans With special nveids oftenare denied. ‘On her fst tip 0 Gulu, Mbabadi de~ liverédhlarge, frained copies of the portraits to those who posed for them. Mltabazi hopes the photos will be exhibitel! publicly, to help changehow the women are seen, and treated, by otfiers. Lina sTocHLic funded the Wrkjet phofographer Esthoy Ruth babaai since 2079, arn more about its support of Explefers at patgeo.com/|mpact. Mbaba ats with Ayaa in front of the makeshift phote studio in Gulu, Uganda,IN THIS SECTION Bost-of-the-World Picks EXPLORE Dreaming Spiders Stories of Patagonia Chris Hemsworth's Limits ILLUMINATING THE MYSTERIES-AND WONDERS—ALL AROUND US EVERY DAY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Vol. 243 NO.1 Red, White, and Blue Zones EARTH’S LONGEST-LIVED PEOPLE DWELL IN FIVE “BLUE ZONES’—BUT THEIR\HEALTHY WAYS OF EATING CAN BE FOUND IN PARTS OF AMERICA. BY DAN BUETTNER WHAT'S THE secRET tolivinganexttato years? It's, never oie thing. Rather, it's aset@fenvironsfiental Tactors that reinforce ach oxiterand tat Keep peo- plereflexivelydoing the righthings and avoiding the Wrong things for lomg enoughfot to develop chyoniediseases- Rot the paSt26 years writing for ‘National Geographie;T'veidentified and studied the world’slongest.liv€d areas, which I call blue Toiies. Theseplices—Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, TeEl¥f Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and the Seventh-day Adventist communitiesin Loma Linda, California—have the most centenarians and the highest middle-age life expectancy. Why? Residents live purposeful lives in walkable settings that keep people naturally active and socially connected. And they eat a dict that’s largely plant-based whole food: In 2019, as the COVID pandemic set in, photogra- pher David McLain and I hatched the idea of search- ing for an American blue-zones diet. Thinking that JANUARY 2023 17EXPLORE [| THE BIG IDEA our great-grandparents may have eaten similarly to people in the original blue zones, we searched for dietary surveys conducted in the early 1900s. ‘To our dismay, we found that our own ancestors, (who immigrated from northern and central Europe) brought their cows, pigs, and pickles with them. Determined to find what food traditions other cultures, Indigenous and immigrant, had brought, tothe American table, we crisscrossed the country to find people who could tell us about these foods Here's what we discovered: Thereis@fi6ther Amer~ ican diet, one that could acuually ineretse your life expectancy by up to 19¥€arsnd,in séme babes, reverse disease. I's nota {ad dietinvented by aSouith Beach doctor, a palo dfet matketef, ta Social medi influencer. This fet was developediby ordinary, Americansyts widelfaffordablesissustainable, and hasa lower catbon footprintthana meat-heaivy ditt. Most important, itis hast and delicious, developed over genttiries byefuing lavors from the Old and New Worldyin ingenious and uniquely American ways. We START INNFW ENGLAND, lookingiat the trae ditiorial F85dy/of the Wampanoag Native Ameri= cans, Thel ancestors played a role in history in 1621/When they encountered recently arrived col- onists. One man, Tisquantum, taught colonists Howetéiplast com, a local food. Carolyn Wynne, a Mashpee Wampanoag elder and Otter Clan mother, 4nd hef frignd, food anthropologist Paula Marcoux, fe-¢featé an early 17th-century meal for us using typical Wampanoag foods. ‘As Wynn€ cooks over an open fire, she seems to be itppervious th the heat.In the coals, she roasts squastr stuffed with hazelnuts, dried blueberries, and maple Sytup. IMapot off to the side, she boils nasaump, a Sorhifieal soup) In athird pot, she poaches pump- kip slices in sassafras tea. Though the Wampanoag hunted game and collected mussels and oysters, 70 percent of their diet came from plant sources. Matcoux tends cast-ifon pots hanging over anotherfire, Inong} there is bubbling msickqua- tash, a Wampanoag stiple Stew of hominy, beans, and squash)which Mafcottx gussies upp with grecw beans, onionsyandhherbs. (Pha \yampanoag might also add Jerusalemartichokes, acorns, chestnitits: and walnuts (the nutssomeuimes potvdefed to Serve as thickeners). “My partictilar obsession with history affords me the fun of networking withsong-dead cooks in their long-gone kitchens tfough.archi= val and archaeological sources,” Marcoux sayS= “It’sa thrilling privilege to conjure their wisdom through fire.” ON THE oTHER sive of the United States, at the northern tip of Hawaii's Big Island, we see another version of Native ingenuity on the farm where Scott Harrison's family has been cultivating native plants for three generations. It abounds with produce eaten here for hundreds of years: sweet potatoes, bananas, 18 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Toll of a ‘typical American’ diet ar ysg.000 Arher "fi diseasts. edi with what they cat. Thede ndluele commoni@ind! tions sut high blood pressure, ~ 4 i (type aciabetes), afc hi) holesterol Collectively, we'll Spend more,éhan fourilion Doe oO a eer Sree ee ey eh ren esac det cette mrseret awe-inspiring destinations for the year ahead. eine Cet Rent eee Seater etcomatany gers eed Cie rece ecco Ped ees oan pee errr eee tetsn and sustain cultural spaces—all of which attract travelers in the first place. Here are four starting points to launch your own itinerary.ona tes) Islands, Greece peor ay have endured waves of Cetera ai ees cd eee Pie ieal eevee eR urns ees orcn tn Pree eens Peat ae Cnet cs eos Sear arcana pee a ects Seon pope snre cd Corea onesies pee oie Pee te) Cats Peat PORE crs Cor eeaeetet nd Pe) eee eens Phe eager See the fulllist at natgeo.com/ BestOFTheWorld.EXPLORE | TRAVE TULI BLOCK, c _BOTSWANA mee Botswana continues to confronpalSerios of threats-suchas poaching, to its expansive, wildlife;sich national parks'and game eserves. But new anti-poaching efforts;Volufitourism, and community-based, outreach may help alleviateSome ofthe préssurecinthe PuliBlock a wilderness off the country’s eastern/border that holds leopards, brown and sfouéd hyenas, and alafgeelephiant population below), rangers a¢é installing advaneéd technology ifthe 270-squate=mile CentralTyli Gam@Reserve. Dutch organization Smart Parks has, developed l6w-powerSensors thav transmit radio data back to a centfal Statiof alerting rangers to poachers and their vehiéles, or even tacking the movements of animals themselves. Botswana ig also responding to a new generation of visitors. “Since COYID, Surtaillennial travelers have become more interested in ‘mganingful hyiman connection,” says National Geographic Explorer Koketso “Koki” Mookodi, “Expect to see more craft-based tours and village homestays.” Mookodi, the managing director of the Wild BirdePst in Botswana, is establishing an education program in 19) remotévjllages in the Okavango Delta, in the country’s north, Called Educators Expeditions, her program takes village teachers on safatis, intotthe delta and shows them how to weave the environment and focal culture into their lessons. “This is an opportunity to use nature asa blackboard,” she sa 28 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Louang- phabang, Laos Lovaraphabang LA0s \ The dosed thee detsotwpany tourism-SeBendent countries lkelLaos South2ast nhd the Decemnbeh 202% inguguration of a Chil leon)structed bul eb train will boast domestic travel Hts 260-milé route within [acs stafts at the border town of Botep teat Verses morefthan ges, runs thydugl Louang phabandtight, Neu Year eélebraf Tigri@bt te ahgiént cit hs Waiefig hongy’apé ter- TpinSte@in the pffal, Vientiane. to expand tourism among the Lao themselves, the f tickets and the coun easing indebt- edness to ChinaCHOQUEQUIRAO,PERU One of the most remote Inca sites in the Peruvian Andes, the ruins of Cho- quequirao are reserved for the hardy few who put in the effort to reach their 10,000-foot elevation. “Many myths exist around Choquequira archaeologist Gori-Tumi Echevarria. Its numerous temples, terraces, and plazasare yet tobe fully excavated. But new infrastructure plans are expected to boost VisitatiOiito Machu Picchu’s sistercity. The government has pledged tospend $260 million to build a cable carspanning three miles between the town of Kiufalla and the site. Devel opment may create more economic opportunity forlocalsat the expense of Choquequirao’s serenity. For now, the ruins remain a place of seclusion that calls out to any traveler's imagination. JANUARY 2023 2EXPLORE | LIMITLESS Whyld fasting, Chri Hemsworth plays underwater hockey-one ofthe extreme acti filmed for tH@Lim ties! sereb. LIVING TO THE LIMITS FOR\A NEW SERIES ON. LONGEVITY, ACTOR CHRIS HEMSWORTH TESTS) BOTH ACCEPTED AND EXTREME STRATEGIES-FOR ENHANCING HEALTHY BY JACQUELINE CUTLER Chris Hemsworth plunged! into Aretic waters/Uatigled high above a canyon while clithibing rape, fasted for four days, and prepared for his GWmeventual death—all in the pursuit of living longer. In Limitless With Chris Hemsworth, a six-part National Geographic documentary streaming on Disney+, the actor doesn't just rely on a physique honed during a decade of playing Thor in movies. He challenges mind as well as body in a quest to develop habits that might extend life. His, and ours. Experts guide him. Some of their tipssound famil- ‘at—eat less, exercise more—but others, not so muck: Accept reality. Harness stress. Before this project-Hémsworth had “always trained specifically oraim@tie,” where the goal might Tee been “io have'Gbs this summer or whatever. And EWaSHHOre superficial. always feltbetter, but doing a deep dive intothe science-backed evidence of why I felt better was a completely new experience,” the actor tells me from his Byron Bay, Australia, home. Limitless—which took more than two years to com- plete, given pandemic shutdowns and breaks for Hemsworth’s movies—stems from a 2006 film that executive producers Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel hhad written: The Fountain, about a man searching, for everlasting youth. Handel recalls a quote thatNew Health & Safety jitterbug flip2 Packages Available Our easiest Jitterbug phone ever. ‘Today,-cell phones are~hard“toshear, difficult to dial and ‘Overloaded with features you May Never use. That’s not the case with thé uitterbug® Flip2, ffom the makers of the original eaby-to-use-cethphone. EASY TO USE A large screen, big-bilttans, list-baséd menu and ‘one-touith, speed dialing make calling-and texting ‘easy. The powerful speaker ensures conversations'aredoud and clear. EASY TO ENJOY A)built-in camera makes it éasy/to capture and share your favorite memories, and a readingemagnifier and flashlight help you See in dimly lit areas. 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Lively doesnot gurantee ancratlocaton Urgent sponses only avlablevith the purchase ove) Heath Saft Package Conssteny ated the most eblenetworkendbest vel nator pertormance the country by Markit RotScre Report 2 erabng Alex of the terbu ip, you scknewedge tat iret response for Amazon ls’ func tonesty or services, Aron Ales and al elated logos ate ademas of Amazon cor nc ors fists Screen mages simulated pearance device maya. Lvety nd JTTERBUGare raceme of Sst Bu) andi fate compares 02022 Bes Buy Aight servedEXPLORE | ON “Denep+ resonates today: “Death isa disease: it’s like any other. And there's cure. A cure—and Lill find it” Nearly two decades ago, they worried the idea was, implausible for audiences. Now, with anagit€ popu- lation and high-tech companies tF¥ingtobeat death and reaching for immonlfty in=Tlot of @ifferént “ways,” Aronofsky saysyitdoesf seein as far-fetthied.. With production Company Nutopia, theteamset out to craft a seflesabout longevity thax was infor mative yet eftertaising. Hemswofth undertakes complicaféd.stunts, bubtheré are takeawaysyfor viewers@t home, Natopia éxecutive producer Jane Root sysi’sfessalsci-fision of extending life and ‘mot¢ aboutimprovinig chances for a long life “that ilfifleckandt nappy and active, Hw éctive? InNorway, to study extreme temperat thre’ effectson the body, Limitless had Hemsworth swim aie surf in a fjord’ 36-degree water. Aronof- sky Lwho mdnaged a numbing dip himself—said itwas "ailiathazing experience to... see Chris really pushinghhimself 0 the edge.” To push that hard takes exceptional drive, says Roks Edeley, who coached Hemsworth for his ford feat A spomtsscientist and the only person to swim around Great Britain (some 1,790 miles), Edgley also helped him train for the movie Thor: Loveand ‘Thunder. “People know Chris as the actor, but not alot of people kniow him asthe athlete,” he says Hemsworth had been a hurdler in his school days, ‘and stil stiri. InLimitless, Nemsivorth plays underwater hockey dtring a four-day fast, part of atest to measure LIMITLESS Watch Limitless With Chris Hemsworth, a six-part National Geographic series streaming on Disney+, fasting’s potential benefits. The actor tends to keep the mood light, joking about being hungry. But there's a dark moment when Peter Atia, a preven- tative care physician, tells Hemsworth, then 37, that blood tests reveal he has 10 times the average risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease because of genetic traits. Daily exercise, good sleep, and stress redue- tion might help lower that vulnerability, Atia adds. “It was initially pretty scary,” Hemsworth says. now, because of this information, there's an ‘opportunity t6tive.an even better life. Hemsworiltsextreni@exploitsin the seriesinclude Walkingn a tivorfoot-wide Construction beam 900 fectabovoSydney Hatbor, Aid yetit’s simple scenes nthe finale—an episotté aboht accepting reality and death —thabérystallize wh wevearirto live longer. For a fewmomentSat. time, Hemswouthexperi- tencesaspectsof old age. Hewears an MJT-designed suit that adds weight and restricts movement hear ing, and visioipmimicking how he mnighfeel in his, Tate 80se4i¢ listens to people who are close tolleath. and reflects on whit matters. He's then Ted toward anapparefitly older woman, sitting with ler badk_ to him—and the second he touches hershoulder he recognizeshis wife, Elsa Pataky, under extensive ‘aging makeup'She turns to him, and they embraces “Theshow's teamiadn't warned Hemswvorth about this encotimter it wanted his purely natural reaction. Suddenly, he's uyihgitoteckon with being near the end of his days, and it's evident why he'll sweat, freeze, and starve, Does itall eome down to love? “Absolutely,” lemsworth says, a Smile creasing his face. “One ofthe first questions! had from Petet Attia ‘was, What does yourlifelook like in2o years..jin 30? ‘What does your death look like? Hemsworth pauses, Then he &iys, “A gooll death forme would be havinglived a good life.” arnaist Jacquelige @utlerregulariy covers tlevision. She previously wrote aout the Not Geo series Walgome to Earth Hemsworth completes atest ofthe Body rea tons to fear: He climbed up a hundred-foot-long rope suspended from 2 cable car, high above a anyon floor in Australias Blue Mountains—36 NATHRT as rears Crees ues eM eee) peperetig nes ens Pech eees Oey ered SASS ee tuto she says. “It keeps Talay Barer peepee rg eee saa’ eee ed canimprove physical Pree “4OUR BIOLOGY, IT SEEMS, CAN BE OPTIMIZED4 FOR GREATER} LONGEVITY. UNIMAGINABLE RICHES AWAIT) WHOEVER CRACKS>| THE CODE. at the University ‘of Washington, deatllifts 305 pounds in his North Bend, | Washington, garage. He Balieyes exercise } is the mestimportant way to preventdiseasé and disabllity'n oll age, but like other scientists, he Roper to find medications to help. Kaeberlein is investigating whether rapamycin, a drug used to prevent organ rejection, can increase age-related (One reason h tostud because they live with people, same environment 40 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICSCIENTISTS ARF FARA TD MAKING MICK Ryan Baumyart performs énjecho- cardiogram on a d named Jee Pup a Washington State Universityén pullman aspartef kseberlein’s study ofwhether «Spamycin has ribedito pfevent orga, aftiaging potential Rapanivein, widely pres rejectiofrafier a transplant; increases thetife expectancy of middle-agemice BY-as much as 60 percent. Drugs called senolytics help geri- atrie mice stay sprightly long after their peers | \ystcn this series on have died. The diabetes drugs metformin and | human potential and acarbose, extreme calorie restriction, and, by | combating aging by one biotech investor’s count, about 90 other | streami interventions keep mice skittering around lab ay cages well past their usual expiration date. The e newest scheme is to hack the aging process itself “Dienep + LIMITLESS WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH 42 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICby reptogtammfingbld ells toa you'Feésa luck unger life span,” say&Cynthit Kényda, amolecular biologist whose breakthrough Work deeads ago catalyzed what is now ®researeh frendy “And Tong-lived mice seem very happy What about us? How far can scientists Stretch our life span? And how far should they go? Between 1900 and 2020, human life taney more than doubled, t0 73.4 ¥ remarkable; in chron arthritis lung disease, and just about every other major illness.ft's hard to imagitfe anyghe warttsfo live mich longer if it méans moteyears of debility and:dependerice. But if those shouse\experinfent$ lead to drug: tht lean up the molecular‘and biochemical ‘wreckage at the root ofs6 many health problems inold-agé, ototHerapies that slow—or, better yetsprevent—that messy buildup, then many more of us would reach our mid-80s or 90s with- out the aches and ailments that can make those years a mixed blessing. And more might reach what is believed to be the natural maximum, human life span, 120 to 125 years. Few peopl: ywhere close. In industrialized nations, about one in 6,000 reaches the century markand one in five million makes it past 110. The rec get an LIVIN AND BETTER 43holder, Jégnne Célmentin France, died in 1997 ‘at 122)year’, 164 days. Human biology, it seems, can be optimized fohgreater longevity. Unimaginable riches await Whoever crack&the edd. No wonder investors ar@pOuring billions into trying, Google led the spending spre€ withthe 2013 launch of Calico Life StientcesAvhere Kenyon is the vice presi- dent of aging resedfch! Ove? the past few years) investmentin the itfchistry has cometfrom tech. tycoons, overnight trypto millfofiaires, and most. recently Saudi royals, Itseents everyone with cash to burn is placing bet ofraging’s lext—or really, its first—big thing, This work is powered by artificial intelligence: bigdata, cellular reprogramming, and an incteas- ingly exquisite understanding of the zillions of molecules that keep our bodies humming, Some researchers even talk about “curing” aging. Humans have chased dreams of eternal youth for centuries. But the study of aging and longev- ity was such a scientific backwater as recently as 30 years ago that Cynthia Kenyon had trouble recruiting young researchers to assist her in the experiments that would break the field open. Working then at the University of California, San Francisco, she altered one gene in tiny round- worms known as C. elegans and doubled their life span. The mutants acted younger, too, slith- ering friskily under the microscope while their unaltered peers lay about like lumps. Kenyon’s startling discovery showed that ‘aging was ialleable—controlled by genes, cel- Talar pathwaySrand biochemical signals. “The ‘Whole thing shifted from being out there in the nebuilotts World fo familiar Sciente that everyone ‘underst60d she says/*And-everyOne could do it-So people just maved in.” Delaying death in wornisand miceNbowever, doesn’tmean it will workin hémans, For Albot minute, sendlytics, which kill damaging cells, that accumulate with age, appeared poised 10, become the first antiaging therapy t6 make\it through the regulatory gauntlet, But One of thd first clinical trials, a highly anticipated study of! ‘an osteoarthritis treatment, found that itdidi't reduice:Swellingor joint pain any better than'a, placebo. Researchers and biotech companiesare now testing Senolytics to treat early onset Alz= heimer's, long COVID, chronic kidney disease, frailty in cancer survivors, andcomplication of diabetes that can eause blindness. Clinical trials, of other antiaging compounds are also under ‘way. But so far, none of the experimental drugs that have had stich dazaling effects in migethave made it to the market, “There arélots of different approaches,” Ken yon says. @We don't know if anf of them will work. But maybe they'll all work! Maybe éorh- binations will be fabulous,The gobd news ow is thatpeople have literally acéepted this kind of Science as being roa. They're excited about the possibilities. We just have fo try’ lot of things. And that’s what people are déing” WALG I’ Crompton, a retired biomedical engineer in Silicon Valley, is 69 years old. He has ample white hair, a white goatee, and a dark vision of growing older. “I'm at the age where I'm swirl- ing around faster and faster at the bottom of the toilet,” he says. "You look around, more and LIVING LONGER AND BETTER 45WE HAVE CHASED DREAMS OF ETERNAL YOUTH FOR CENTURIES, BUT THESTUDY OF AGING AND LONGEVITY WAS A SCIENTIFIC BACKWATER, AS RECENTLY\AS 30 YEARS AGO, her to his study of Calabria’s centenarians and their diet LIVING LONGER AND BETTER 47more of your peers are dying, getting horrible diseases. You have little aches and pains, all of a sudden your knee hurts when you run, and blah, blah, blah, If it's not one thing, it’s another With a mindset like that, it’s no surprise Crompton became obsessed with aging and life-extension research. He read the mouse stud- ies. He helped out ata longevity lab, He attended conferences where scientists spoke of the “hall marks” of aging, the interconnected Ways that biology goes awry over time: Protective caps on elffomoSomes, lledtélo~ meres, shorten. THE getiouté becomesunstable and cancer-cattsing DNA mutationsincrease, Changes ogtiwrih the epigenomeSeomhpouinds that latelfonto DNA &nd regiilate the acti¥ityof genes Sommecells becorfe senescent, meaning theytop functioning normally, but like zom= ies, they don’t die, and they secrete chemicals tht éarise fitflashmation. Disruptions occur ini pathwaysthayfespond to nutrients, lipids, and cholesterol, throwing metabolism out of whack. Ahd th how ‘whieffis the most important to address. Atadbnference, Crompton heard a scientist named Gregory Fahy explain his theory that immundlogical aging could be reversed by treat- ing the thymus, a small gland in the chest that stimulates the development of disease-fighting ‘Tells. Fahy was seeking volunteers to test his, idea thawinjections of recombinant human growth hormone, a drug used for decades to. ureatichildren with short stature; could rejuve- thymus and the hody’s waning, agaiNst disease. Faliy had injected himself with the stuff On and fifo eight years, and with his thick dafk biowwhairand youthful enthusiasm, he appearethinvenviable shape For.a guy of Social arity age. Gxomptoh éignedup. Fahy, the chieP scientific officer Of Intervene Immune, a Californfacbased company, ig Well known as a cryobiologist Who developed a técH- nique to preserve kidneys by infusing them with ethylene glycol and storing them at Hifi 135°C (-211°F) until they can be transplanted, He created a stir by rewarming a rabbit brain in near-perfect condition, raising hopes a way will be found to allow mammalian brains, ours included, to survive cryopreservation. But Fahy list goes on:-There’s no consensus on hese Changes influence one another, or ffenses Se has been fascinated by the thymus for decades, since he read a study by scientists who refreshed the immune systems of rats by implanting cells 4B NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC that make growth hormone, He believes most drugs that extend mice lives will disappoiuttis, because they “don'tdo anything abour keeping your immune System from going south R patent, so repurposing yield the fina also assoetated with an elevated tisk of some cancers. Fahy tried roger other Stientistsinter ested in doing-eclinicattrial and filed. “I took matters into my own hands and stfrted regen: exatizig ny own thymus based6n what I could gleanfrom the ratsttidyybfie says. Beeaus€ the dre can raise the risk of type diabetes, he added two pills: metformin and dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, a hormone that improves blood-sugar regulation. Both ar: also thought to mitigate the effects of aging, and they're commonly used for that purpose, Metformin, which is taken for diabetes by 1 it for antiaging won'y combinant human growth hofmone is bonanza of anewsirugs it’s 0 Idwide, may reduce the inci- million people dence of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. ers are planning a study to see if it{ STupy HEADNHY AND TRACK ( an }TOPIGUR four now y THEY MANAGE 0 DEFY THE { ACTUARIAL TABLES. supocearesemeh ey piereteaetstan 1s cam) 10] 0) a eee ae co ee ed Ce ae ore a of aging oexplainthecellularand molecular processes ee a ace eae See ee ae ene er ee Teas factor formany major diseases, including cancerINSIDE THE (© CAAA Oe SIPPY CUOINSIDE Pee HARa NG ~y, i Peete recyNepiteut Fonnes’s. california, biobanks frm las mens af linked tele Fortney and her cole comes ofthe peop behind is ony hose who've ae sample for including alway aosTo slow Don Lueck’s dementia, his doctors suggested he learn a new skill. He took Up art in 2019 and has made more than 17,000 paintings. The hobby helped the gregarious 77-year-old endure pandemic imposed isolation in his Madison, Wisconsin, home. "Painting every day during this time Sayed our lives, because his brain was activeliengaged in a.creative process he Jovesy’ says his wife, Jenny Villwacke "He oftewrinchudes, Yaces or creatures in hig paintings same®ne'with whom he could socialize.”muscle dysfunction way in id iftissué re; svanthotlier Smpiny eXpl Jiseases Ofaging with latge uhev na path eneration, remodeling ing piste ta needs, high prevalence, aitthhugemarkets.” was feeding time when I visit a Gor- bunova’s super-agers: 300 naked mole rats, give had be ant female loo take—alli n born four days earlier and one p! 2h Brain cross section of patient Rrra ree aeolian S [AREAENLARGED Peas held bountiful ptions, ificlti: Cort, two The refriget aurotS, allo ked mole ratscan li aptivity, 10.time€S long rodent their size. I couldn’ all live longer if we just ate wrinkled, bucktoothed creature and Andrei Seluanov, who are married and both ts at the University of Rochester, study naked ma f stealin; adaptations for us. “In eve ivorganic more than 40 1 than ty help think hhat these small, do, Gorbunova biologi ats in hope animal we Gorbunova telSLAYING ZOMBIES ‘Miranda Orr, who researches brain aging at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, pee ee ere aed Ee tere such as the hippocampus. These cells dor ec aeons Cerra eerie iene ee drugs can kill these deadly cells and restore ar et ents eC ee aCe ‘tau tangles, the snarls of tau proteins that are re ee etd pio Pee rer} ee Creer eure s Pee ete eee ee oe er pC ao ei a. Themystery4t the phenomenal longevity of some animals has propelled'studies around the: glob jers Have etdured Arétic storms an Sto tatch sttidy fag,and release Greenland sharks, whith live at least 250 eats and maybe even a few Centtities more. Seien+ tists dredging ocean quahogtlams fromthe: seabed north of Iceland hauled up a SOF Year old. University of Birmin; Pedro de Ma sequenced the . Rese seasickne' ham biologist Joao ing clues in DNA. Ihaes, see nome of the bowhead whale, a 120,000-pound behemoth thought to be the lo but endangered by pollution and other threats. He to investigate the naked mole ra vvity champion of the mammalian world also worked with Gorbunova and Seluanov nome The rodent habitat in Rochester, New York, grees, dark, and humid, like a burrow. Each colony—a queen, isood er consorts, and many generations of her minions— inhabits its own plexiglass dwelling. It has wide tubes connect- ing three eating, and excreting. If naked mole rats don’t ge canisters, ostensibly for sleeping. like am the colonies, “they'll put it in the toilet. They looF'adorably social as they somer Sault gver on@anoth@rand huddle in piles like Taundiry, but}thay’re belligerently territorial. Researcher Ro¢helle Bulfenstein, who once had mOPthan 7,500 ahdmowhas 2000 in her Jab at the University of Illindis, Chitago, has folitidithe oldidon’t di anymore ofteh.thian the young.“Many of them die bechuse they fight. Gorbunova Says, “ That is not'age dépenden Gorbunova shoved me the othertestdents in herlab: Damaraland mole rat’; Chileaff rodents called degus and African spiny mice, which havelalifiost al, says Nancy Corson, who manages model for studying Alzheimier’s, mythical powers to regenerate skin andeatt lage large Freezer is packed with tissue from squirrels{ rabbits, porcupines, beavets}wild mice, bats, aitd two dozen other species. She ets these specimens from exterminators, hunt- s, animal-eontrol officers, state consefvation employees. Shealso traps some, And Wolfy, the family German shepherd whose framed portrait is displayed in héroffice, deposits the o¢casional carcass on her doorstep. I winced at thatasfhey served sciengé," sheassures me. Bowhead whales have more thai a thousand times the ealls w do, which should dramatically increase their risk of a can put they'do they are’astonishin, epairing DNA and’ Keepingcells héalthy. Gor bunova has fotind tharotherlong“livéd animals, Including naked molévats, shafethis superpower. Bats Control infkimmations masterfully they catvhatbor viruseS without getting sick, a fea globalttention after they were sus- pected the source of the pandemic’s c cin bats even before pausing mutation. tr get cancer, Studies haveshown efficientand accurate at thatdre virus, “We were inter COVID,” Gorbunova says. Scientists estimate that chronic inflamm tion, which often pro- half of all deaths worldy And naked mole rats? One of their anti- s as we age, is a major factor in more than gin narvels is hyaluronan, a gooey sugar secreted by connective tissue. We make the ONGER AND BETTERsubstance, too, and it’s a staple of “age defy- ing” skin creams. But Gorbunova and Seluanov discovered that the naked-mole-rat version has a different, heavier, molecular structure from ours, it's much more abundant, and it doesn’t degrade as much as ours does. (And she told me, to my disappointment, that it’s produced differently from the pricey products I slather on my face.) Hyaluronan in naked mole rats. not only makes their skin supple enougit*® squeeze through cramped tunnels bit also Suppresses tumors, the biologists found. Studying longeyity inevitably makes scientists contemplate th€irown. One they passer Certain age, many dé sofething—or alotof things—to stave offfolecular damage. Gorbunovay ho is5i, tellyme she Cats seaweed becauseittacti- vatega pfoteinisiftuin 6, which aids DNA repair and gehomfestability,Itstruck me as on-braiid tht a bfoloBist whose ringtone is. barking dog) and/whbsays she chose her specialty because “I fiké atitmals and everything you can learn from ‘themhy! vould try toenhauice her own longevity ‘by consuining fish food. Gofbtndva doesn’t study humans, though ‘We're cOnsicered long-lived animals too. We utliyé all other primates, and not only because théy'Te mare likely to be eaten by lions. Within 4 generation, Gorbunova believes, we'll have tleatmentsthat extend the human life span by a\decade ohtwo, Té push beyond that would requiréifundamentally changing the human operatingsystem, and that may not be as wild ait sounds. “Ithink its possible,” she says. 2006, Shinya Vanianaka,2 Steuficellesearcher in Japan, figured out hoveio Yeprogtamadulecelly and return them to an emBtyonitalike state. THe discovery revolutionized celMbiglogy and the search for ways to treat human diseXSe§> winning Yamanaka a Nobel Prize. Now research- ers are determined to use the technique, called cellular reprogramming or epigenetic repro- gramming, to reverse aging and eradicate the illnesses that come with it. “The implications could be bigger than CRISPR,” says biologist David Sinclair, referring to the transformative gene-editing technology. 64 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC “1m going to get destroyed for saying that! It’s certainly the biggest thing since CRISPR in terms of the amount of money and people get- ting into it” A group of high-profile tech entrepreneurs, including Jeff Bezos, shook the tight-knit world of aging research in early 2022 with the launch of a three-billion-dollar reprogram- ming.venture, Altos Labs. Yamanaka signed onasan adyisefeand other superstar scientists ‘Wele luzed frontprestigious academic posts. Depending on yourpointof View, the massive investment in a technology that Bitself embry- onic eitheFepitomizes Sificon-Vatleplaubris or marksa shrewd beton the future of medicine. *Pebple will notinvest setiatis money urlessthe ‘science is believable,” says Steve(Horvathwho retired recentlyifiom the University6t Califor. nia, Los Angeles to join Altos.“Sothe. question, is, will you and 1 benefit?” ‘Yamanaka used four proteins known astrany scription factors, which initiate and regulate’ ‘gene expression, to erase the identity of mature” cellsSess@ntially tewinding them to\theit orig- inal state. the leap to.apply it to aging tame: from Juan Cailds lapistiaBelmonte, a biologist studying organ regeneration, He wanted to use’ the Yamanaka factors to turn back time only partway, restoringthe youthful resilience of cells while maintaining their identity and fungtion. He and his team at the Salk Instityte for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, exper- imented with mice forseveral frustrating yeat® until they hit upon a protocol that rejuvenated the animals instead of killing them. They used partial reprogramming to extendithe lives of pfe~ maturely aged mice and to ace€lerate healing ih normallyaged old mice with musete injuries. At the time, izpisua Belmonte saidtthe experiments demonstrated that aging; may norhave to pro- ceed in one singlediredtion.” NOW ada scientific diréctor“at Altos, he no longer tatks publicly abotft turning aging into ertwo-waV streetePHE company insists it is not rrthe bUstness of reversing aging but of revers- ing disease. Maybe the backers want to distance themselves from the long, dubious history of antiaging snake oil, or they have their sights on what the FDA will approve: treatments for dis- eases, not for aging. But I was not the only one to puzzle over their distinction. “What's the difference?” Sinclair says, rolling his eyes.Sinclair, a professor of genetics and co- director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, makes no secret of his mission to thwart aging, including his own. He has founded and invested in more than a dozen companies to commer- cialize longevity technologies and molecules. At 53, he takes metformin and sprinkles res- veratrol on his breakfast. “I try things oncesat: colleague who is an ophthalmology researcher bet him it wouldn't work. “and guess what?” Sinclair says, “It did.” Since publishing the results in Nature in December 2026, Sinclair has continued the stud- ies and says the benefits appear long-lasting. Meanwhile, he and the researchers in his lab are doing mind-bending back-to-the-future exper- iments in which they speed up aging in mice, FIVE HABI?S MAY INCREASE LIFE EXPECTANCY BY 14 YEARS IN WOMEN AND 12 YEARS IN. MEN: GOOD DIET, REGULAR EXERCISE, HEALTHY WEIGHT, NOT SMOKING, AND NOT DRINKING TOO MUCH. least, that people are talking about,” he says. Pn Cutious, [like to be an experimenter.” He lifts weights to keep his hormone levels up—he posted on Instagram that his testosterone is high. He recently adopted a vegan diet. “It’s not 4s boting as Fthought it would be” he tells me. He @losely monitors his biological age through InSideTracker, a company he advises that ana- yzes 43 biomarkers. ‘Whien I visited his office, he offered to shoWunhe higrésultS:We looked at thegraphs on a coniputer séreeiFitst up: C-reactive protein, an indicgto? of inflammation. “Lim way below what a20fyebrrold Woulld-have.” he says. He scrolled throllgh iordata, conclud- ing, “I'm way off tHechartfor fouth.” Sinclair modified theXantanaka formdls eliminating one transcriptiomfactor thathas been implicated in cancer, and then used Battal reprogramming in mice to regrow crushed optic nerves. “That was great,” he says, “but thought if this is really age reversal, we should be able to reverse age-related disease.” So he tried itin mice with a glaucoma-like condition, and their vision returned. But they weren't very old, so Sinclair decided to reprogram cells of geriatric mice experiencing age-related vision loss. A turning them wizened and sluggish, or accel erate aging in just one organ{6r,n all of them. By switching aging on, they hope to learn how to shut itoff. Sinclair targeted the optic nerve because it’s one of the first places affected byaging. Shortly after birth, we lose the abiliry toregéns erate cells there, He believes his studies offeva game-changing model for treatig spinal cérd. injuries and disorders of the ceiitral nervous sys- tem. If tirning back cellulaf agédan reoapttire lost visioii, he says, why not. Also the ability to ‘walker remember? NC BODY knows when, or whether, a moon-shot tech- nology like cellular reprogramming will do for humans what it accomplishes so marvelously in mice. But in the meantime, we can do plenty to take on aging. Researchers at the Harvard T.H. ‘Chan School of Public Health looked at decades of data from 123,219 adults in the US. and found that five habits may increase life expectancy by LIVING LONGER AND BETTER 6514 years in women and 12 years in men: good diet, regular exercise, healthy weight, not smok- ing, and not drinking too much. “I think the one that gives you the most bang for your buck, if you're only going to do one—which I don’t recommend—is exercise,” said Matt Kaeberlein, a professor of laboratory medicine and pathology and the director of the Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute. at the University of Washington, He's a hard-core scientistefiot a fithiess gurt His lab developed as6botics platform called WormBot, whiche6llects data simultaneously from hundreds of parallel experiments to tease out the factots thatinfluence thelife spar of the roundwoftn,C. elegaris, He'salso testing rapaihy- cin in dogs’ But no Matter how busy he gets, three days week Kasbérléin, 51, heads to the make- shift gym inthis garage and cycles through bench. presses sqliats,dead lifts, and'shoulder lifts ta maihtaitumusele mass. “For most people over 50, Joss of mugclé mass due to/a sedentary lifestyle usually is oné of the most important predictors of poo health outcomes later on,” he says> Fitfiéss experts argue endlessly about which ¢xercis® regimen best maximizes health and strength Late in life. Similarly, nutrition experts disagree about the optimal diet—time-restricted eating, intermittent fasting, keto, vegan, Medi- terranean, You name it. ‘Animal studies provide compelling evidence thet sebere ealorie restriction increases life ‘Span. Whether that's true for people has been nofotiously difficult to determine, The National Institute on Aging initiated a large study two decade’ ago to measure the effects of a diet that citchloriesBy2s percent. But even though, participants reéeived counseling, software to track what they afe, and nieals for a whiley they shaved Galoties by only 12 pe¥cefit.I.w: reminded of the doctor Who/told me the best healthy diet is the orf@you'lL follow. Becca Levy, a professonof epidemiology and psychology at Yale UniverSity,poiiits to another important, controllable influenc® 6 healthy longevity: our beliefs about aging. In one study, which has been replicated around the world, Levy found that people in their 30s, and 40s who had positive expectations for old age—they equated it with wisdom, for exam- ple, instead of decrepitude—were more likely to be in good health decades later. In another study, she showed that older people who have 68 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Amold Camffermin free-falls about 7,000 feet above Ameland, an island ‘off the coast of the’ Netherlands Asa skydivingjinstructor who's still teaching the 69-year-old! has jumped out of airplanes more than 20,800 times. “don't Want to stap anytime son,” he says. His advice fora long and healthy life? “Never ever stop playing positive views of aging aremuch more likely to recover fully fronya disabling injury, And/in yet anothef, she foutid thar positive views 6f old age ‘Were associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's. Levy has found that people with the brightest belieivabout aginglive anaverage of seven and a half years longeth#ih those with the gloomiest. Readifig research by scientists trying to unravel the mysteries of aging can make it hard to feel good about growing older. The idea of “curing” aging casts it as pathology. Published studies start, relentlessly, with bad news. “Aging is a degenerative process that leads to tissue dysfunction and death,” begins a typical paper. As I learned more about the science, I grew excited about the possibilitiesforbrdakthrougisbut distressed about my own prospectsa5 appfoathed 68. Steve Hotyath offefed toxun an-@pigenctic clock on me, a test withthe angiety-producing name of GrimAgeNksent hint two vials Of nly blood. A while later I opened the report: My Bio: logical age was 33 years lower tammy chronotog~ ical age. The report offered a cheerful “congrat and said, “You are already beating the clock!” But I felt let down. I certainly wasn't in league with David Sinclair in bucking the tempest of time. Then Ithought about my mother, still enjoy- ing life in her late 90s. Becca Levy’s research convinced me that my mom’s outlook at least partly explains her vitality grumble about her birthday or say she can't do something because she'stoo afta Starting to hear from‘ friend's By age. “NO,: she saVs, when point this oftt. “I'm not t00 old. I mightdo it Nowerrdndd might doles ‘OFit. Bult I'm not tho old todaice or walk or do anything like todo he paluses.2 Well, [ wouldn't swim anymore” “"BECuse you haven't done it in a long time?” ‘Because I don’t like the way [look in a bath- ing suit.” 0 Fran Smith, a regular contributor to the maga- ives near New York City and specializes in about health, Four National Geographic ty Explorers photographed this story: Jasper lands; David Gut- tenfelder from Minneapolis; Nichole Sobecki from Nairobi, Kenya; and Melanie Wenger from Pars. LIVING LONGER AND BETTER 69Cea . $a 7 ge G eee eect acre caer . Ms , q a 8 i]ae Ui a neeaay Seton Mt ate ts , rane ae LE Pte OWL Tea aR IDNs Se a de ee aern ee sane Pa Re ees cs Ce cae Peis pena ty aaa Lee ae aos ores Manatees can't survive Peres cere es ood Scat ad Pent Cees Pr bt Poor auead ii Reo the aquatic grasses that pita eee eng Pee ‘tucknee River remains ae| WASN'T EXPECTING... my great-grandmother’s house that aftéznoon. 1d hoped to interview National Geographic Explorer Buddy Powell on the water in Crystal River, a small town in Florida north of Tampa, where the manatee’s modern-day story begins. But our boat broke down, and it was too hot to hang around the pier to talk. So there we were, sit= ting across from each other on matching orange sofas in Hazel Gaines's 1970s-themed livingroom. “My great-gtandmother moved to Crystal River more than 60 years ago; she died in 1993. We've kept those sofas because they remind us of her {and of our childhood spent explorinig the river ‘outside, Buddy Powell is Slightly older thair thélsofas buvin far better shape, with youthful ostture dind alert eyes that kept wanderingout toward the Water/"It's a stibconsciots thing,” he Stid, “Tve spent miost of my life Searching for manatéespand 10Wit'slikemy brat is perttia- nently wited with thetrsenrelritigge.” When Powell was growing up here in the 1960s, manatees had all but vanished from Florida. “To find one was very exciting,” he said. One of the world’s foremost experts on these her- bivorous marine mammals, he signs his email messages as “James Powell, Ph.D., President and Executive Director of Clearwater Marine Aquar- ium.” But he always goes by Buddy. 76 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Critical cafe veterinary staff atZooTampa at Lowry Parketake xofdys oF Bellissima, Brought inbfter hiker spéttedjher of land. Animal care’supervi- Sor Jaime Vaccaro says Bellissima’might have béenstranded while foraging during an ‘abnormally high tide.ANATEES“ OFTEN CALLED aréan afontaly iitthe animal king dom, Neithef prédator norprey, these peactablecreatufes, Which can grow 13 feetand Weigh mofe tah, pounds, are evolutionarilydevoid They also fall into the class Of’charistmatie®= wild animals that hold humans in their thal =} Their presence in Florida is a reminder of the good humans can do: People have helped them rebound there from under a thousand in the 19605 to more than 7.500 six years ago, based on estimates from aerial surveys, by protecting and restoring manatee habitat, introdu to prevent boat s about th ith theeSe pee ku ieee ris cos ue Beach Next Generation orgs in Palm Beach County. eer ea ese on Oe ein) eee CoaRiver—"Manatee Capital of the World”—is the epicenter oftheir recovery. Yet despite the gains, manatees still face grave threats, Three-quarters of Florida’s 22 million people live along the coast, many in prime man- tee habitat, where the strain of human presence has degraded the state’s enchanted springs, ‘waterways, and wetlands. In Indian River Lagoon, forexample, an important manatee habitat lative on land), pandas, and 28 conservation symbols can activism for their pro- a “refuge and sanc~ ing boat speeds in Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center. shops in the Sunshine State offer everything from manatee back scratchers and dog leashes 4005 to five-foot-tall manatee mailboxes. Members of manatee themed Facebook groups swap memes 7 and show off manatee arts and crafts. One post offers a rendition of Leonardo da Vinci's “Last ‘Supper”—but instead of Jesus and his Apostles, P2002 it’s manatees seated around the table. “ton date ac oft, 80 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ‘ronecion: HOMDARSH AND WHOLE CONGEIMANON COMMSATLANTICBut charismatic animals also can be flash- points, and manatees have been an intense polarizer: Fervent advocates on one side, and on the other, coastal developers, business interests, and recreational boaters who want unfettered use of Florida’s waters. The divide came to be known as the manatee wars. What do people find so compelling about an animal that looks like a misshapen blimpane! spends its time eating, sleepingraid breaking wind? An answer can befotind inthe Manatee Tunnel at ZooTampé’s mrinatee pritical care center, a working*hospitalithatcan rehabilitate. more than 296f Florida's sigidat ure Features at once. It's dark infsidethe tnneél, womblike, Whiths sical shusiolplays Softly in the background. Beyohid thick panés6f glass, manatees appear to soafteySault through space like astronauts. Frag nienfs df letticgcatch the light, shimmering like stats M&nateés’ flippers move like a human’s Jower ariivagd are rimmed with fingernails—a illion-Year-old reminder that their ances- tors once walked on land. Wiry hairs on slate gray'skin gre tactile antennae, giving them an éxiquisire Sense of touch to aid navigation by deteeting water movement. Some spectators, hypnotized by manatees’ incomprehensible, meditative grace, stand in silence. Others murmur about how eute they are Ts that a walrus?".a man whispers. “No,” his part hhek replies” “it looks like a giant baked potato. Everyone gidglesas a manatee swims by and ddgs'y barrel roll, releasing a stream of bubbles from hier rear end before gliding off with a swoop of the big, paddle-shaped tail. Sea cows, like land cOws>areworaciods vegetarians and very ‘THE BEST CONSERVATIONISTS ARE THE ONES WITH THE MOST PRECIOUS CHILDHOOD MEMORIES.’ Clearwater Marine Aquarium gassy. The Manatee is not as prettyand ceftaihily is “less Hollywood” than the sleek and playful dolphin, wrote Cubanauthor Manuel Pereira. But, he continued, “all tte matémél instinct of HE UiiNetge is concBntrated inthis animal.” Is obsession with Tanatées enough to ensure theirsurvival in Plofida? Only if it goes beyond thegiftsHiop. ‘What people don’t understand,” Smith says, {isthe need to help support them in waterways. Above all, that means restoring seagrass beds and freshwater aquatic vegetation, the basis of their existence and of the overall health of Flor- s. Seagrass sequesters carbon—"blue 35 times as fast as tropical rainforests and stores twice as much per acre. ida’s wate! carbo!ED BY UNDERGROUND SPRINGS, Crystal Riychmostlf lives up to its name- its clee= triclbhrewaterg are laced with swamps and islands thick With tré8s festooned by Spanish moss, The air Vibrates with te sound of cicadas and camries the sweet Sceitt of. marsh mud and salt. In one of my most vivid childhood meHOFeS> from about 1997, I'm standing waist-deep in the water with a snorkel and mask on. My dad has lowered me from the seawall by my wrists and is standing above me, encouraging me to put my face in the water. A creature the size of a small car grazes peacefully a few feet away in the cloudy water. I’m terrified, but I submerge my face anyway. I hear her teeth grinding and Emplayed# trom the Florida fish and Wild- life Conservation Com mission dispose of 3 dead manateaat the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Com- plex. The mangtee was fecovered from an-area, affected by red}tide: algae toxicto mar mammals, fish, birds, and humans. Althougt not every manatee receives a full necropsy, reports of carcasses are investigated, and the probable causes of death are logged into a mortality database, feel hertnormous preseficexfght beside she. “Phe best conservationists are thé oftes with the tiost precious childhood mémeéries,” says Powell, who also grew up-éxpléring Crystal RIVel{ often inka little rowboat with his father. Only oécasionall, he’ catch a glimpse of a Jarge stradoyw gliding beneath the surface. Not maniy’people understood—or cared—that these ghostly swimmers were among the last surviving manatees in Florida. Powell's lifetime fixation seems fated. In 196 at age 13, he had the chance to assist a graduate student named Daniel Hartman, who was doing the first in-depth study of manatee natural his- tory. Their work, described in the September 1969 issue of National Geographic, introduced FOR LOVE OF MANATEES 83SPECIES AT RISK Claas GRAZERS Dee ceca ae eee ase Perera n nr) Porno ne erence rr Mare anne orn ti!a cia — ee en ORY = CT ercreteerg ok Liters santa AD os Sa roeeted ea see ray90 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LEFT, FROM TOP RIGHT, FROM TOP Torie Arrison shows Ezrah Johnson offherface painting _and his little brother, at Crystal River's Nathaniel, gaze Florida Manatee at a manatee at Zoo- Festival ‘Tampa's Manatee Tunnel in the This mailbox is one rehabilitation facility of the ubiquitous manatee curiosities Festivalgoers stand in in Crystal River. front of Hope, the Save the Manatee Club's TRECotton family inflatable figure. Hops at Blue Spring State Park, Mhatee signs and in. Orange City; symbolshelp create te-see manatees, GrystahRiver's identity. manateesto the World. Hartman's story catty tioned resdersabout the dangers manatees would face as Florida’s population grew. “Pollution has already destroyed the manatee's food résowt€€s ‘in several rivers,” he wrote. “Their future tests" entirely infbur fiaiids.” By the tiftie hewas20, Powell had comeésto: know more abbitt the efiigmatic manatee than almost anyone else, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Setvice (EWS) offere@him ajobwith its new manatee research program, He spent the next nine years painting a pieture of manatees’ increasingly imperiled existence, not just in Florida but across their range in the sovitheast- ern United Statés, “We traveled from Alabama around to South Carolina interviewing fisher- men along theentire coastline,” he says. Thé research team bought a small plahe and hired a! pilot, flying over every waterway, Searching for manatees:"We would land onfemoie o6urttry highways to pump fuel fromthe Back of apickup truck before taking offagain.* The information Powell dnd Higé&m gleaned beCaliictlie basisof the Elotidathanatee conser- vationmovement-The Savéthe Manatee Club led theway-tising thenfiatee's benign countenance to build’ engaged fan base. Groups litigated both for increased regulations that aim to protect the animals and their habitat, and against those ‘who oppose such measures as boating speed lim- its, restrictions on waterfront development, and the setting aside of areas for manatees. In 20n1, the FWS unveiled a plan to set aside Kings Bay—the roughly 600-acre headwaters area of Crystal River—as a manatee refuge, witha year-round slow-speed rule for boaters. This prompted Steve Lamb, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, and others to form Save Crystal River—to fight back against the “manatee folks.” When there's an endangered s involved, the government can make up rules and there's not a damn thing you can do about it,” Lamb says. “They were taking little bites at atime out of our rights.” ‘The manatee wars culminated #f'3012, when: the Pacific Legal Foundatioh petitioned FWson behalf of Save Crystal RiveF to dowilist the anis mals from endahgeréd tothreatened arguing that their nufhbefs had tebounded. (iron, the Florida Bish afidVildlife Conseation Commis; sion had counted ¥,834,nfanatees in thState,) Aftef further review, in 2017 FWSimade the contrdversiahdécision to downlist manatees. It didu't change existing protections, but manatee fdvodates worry that it indicates reduced urgeney, fora Speciésétill very much in need of concerted ¢ons@rvation efforts. “Dhe decision to downlist the manatee was based pu criteria that suggested habitat pro- tettions and boat-speed rules had seemed to be efféctive, allowing manatee populations to rebound.” Powell says, But “we knew there were all these environmental changes beginning to occur—ted tide, increasing development in Flor- ida and its impact on waterways, climate change. It’s these bigger environmental and landscape issueSthatare much more difficult to control, he Says.<‘They were waned.” ecies NA CHULY JANUARY MORNING, Will Wolfson hoses our boat into Mosquito Lagoofiypait of the Indian River Lagoon s¥sterfi, Wolfson, a fishing guide with Yo Years’ éxpériente oi these waters, knows thermas if théy{wete an extension of his body. “This witole place'is ¢ wasteland,” he says as we skim past a trailer parkanid into alabyrinth of mangroves. “I's prettywironrabave, but befovt its wrecked.” Indian River Lagoon’s abundant seagriseam sheltered waters have long made it an important habitat for manatees and fish alike. But between 2011 and 2019, more than half the seagrass disap- peared. In some places, greater than 90 percent was gone. “Seagrass can no longer grow here,” Wolfson says. “The water's too murky.” In 2010, an unusually cold winter killed hun- dreds of manatees. In the following years, as FOR LOVE OF MANATEES ”ee eek peter turisecs Pet! Deere says Wayne Hartley, Bes Pe ee have scar patterns.” ree that 96 percent of Flor- ets iedcwd sd Peete) ae gc Poorer tite penance Peete ico Comerstemperatures warmed and sediment, sewage, and fertilizer runoff continued to flow into the lagoon, algae bloomed out of control, blocking sunlight from reaching plant life. This place used to be thick with seagrass, Wolfson says. ‘Now I'm on my hands and knees looking for a single blade of grass.” As seagrass disappeared, Wolfson and other fish- ermen began educating the public and pressuring. stateand federal representativestotakedétion. But seagrass isn't charismatic. “NoGne seethied.to cate until last year, when things hieGrtieal mass, andl these manatees stated floatitig up" he says. “No one does anything tintil they hear the m-Word,” he adds. “Peoplé héar ‘manategs*4nd they start getting jafzed about Suyitontnental plight. ‘The seagrass calaimity’in Indian River Lagoon isn’ytinique: Inthe éarly 2000s, when I wasa teeftager spending summers at my great-grande mbther’s hdyse/algae blooms had transformed thig manatee dasis into a festering wasteland, Algae Btew intto thick, stringy mats that would tangle boat propellers, clog up the vents of underground springs, and block sunlight, which: Killed’ any remaining aquatic vegetation. “We Were wOrried about manatees having enough to eat” Powell recalls. His HoRRor benefited no one. Kayakers and powerboaters missed the clear water. Anglers missed catching fish. Manatee tour tildes and hotel owners worried about how to make @ living. Grandpar- ehtsworried about their grandehildren, who wouldn't grow up, as they had, exploring the primordial beauty ofthe place. Steps to reverse the damage started small. Neighboks Bathéred-withnrakes, scoopingup algae by Hand Iromfically, ifwas Save Cry&- tal River—th@gfoup entvirommentaligts had opposed during theinfighit over the manatee’s endangered status—that Speariieaded the Fes> toration of aquatic vegetation. Inconfronting the collapse of the place he lovédySteve Lamb shifted his attention toward figuring out howto fix the problem. In 2015, with funding from the state legislature, Save Crystal River hited Sea & Shoreline, an aquatic restoration firm, to remove the muck and replant the river bottom with eel- grass, which grows long, ribbonlike leaves. The prospect of replanting the entire river was daunting, “People thought we were crazy,” says Lisa Moore, president of Save Crystal River. But 94 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC after vacuuming nfore than 300 million pounds of detritus and planting some 350,000 individdal eelgrass pods by hand. the groups haye flipped the river back tgan ecosystem no loyiger domi nated by algae, ‘Foryears and-yeats, there was fo food for the) manatees,” Lamb says. “Now/We havejan abuit- dance of this wonderful eelgrass Andieleast water. They're having a heyday, andGod blésgthem. This isawesome* Tnstead of spending the few shoft witer months IHTCHYStal River before headingBack out into the GulfoFMesico to graze, somé manatees now linger here year-ToundyenOying fat times and boosting, the tow Tourism economy. Aerial surveys from January 2022 revealed the highest number of man- atees ever recorded in these waters—more than a thousand in Kings Bay alone, The newly restored vegetation also has allowed more animals—fish. blue crabs, snails, and others—to make their way back into Crystal River. ‘The Environmental Protection Agency calculates it will cost five billion dollars andLert News crews jo: State Park. A manati ’eats Bout a hundred pounds f aquat yegetationieach day. fed to manateesunder pert human car js good option forIn Farming Spfings, ‘a fnahateehgvers with beguiling gface in alayerpfwarm, clear groundwater above golder-sannic water fromthe flooded Suwannee River, Manatees look chubby Because they have Massive digestive tracts to prokess the plant matter they Must eabte survive, take 20 to 30 yéars'to reverse Indian River Lagoon’s étological(Collapsé> the lagoon lies! mostly withinRepubli¢antmajority Brevard County, whose résidents Voted in2016 10 adopt a voluntary sales ta¥thatwuill provide nearly $500 million over 10 y8ars for-wastewater infrastructure projects and &qwatic Festo~ ration. “Anytime you get a Florida county tax themselves purposely—and that's a red county too—that’s a win for the environment,” says Carter Henne, lead biologist and presi- dent of Sea & Shoreline. Meanwhile, bipartisan legislation is fast-tracking state funding for manatee rescue and rehabilitation, as well as for projects to address the problems that have Killed seagras 96 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Homegwiiers in some countiedaie stipple- inentifig money fromefantswithitheiréwh cash to convert leaky Septietanks to mainlifie sewer ‘systems. In othemcounties, comutiunities are Pushing t restore Seagrass antl dredge rivers t6 remove loads.of hitrogen and phosphorus trappect of the bottém -willfaiit Bunch—a Crystal River restaurant owner, community leader, and family friend— met my great-grandmother in the 1960s when he was a teenager running a landscaping business. “Lremember back then, your great-grandmother refused to let us put fertilizer on her lawn,” he says with a laugh. “Your grandmother was the same. They didn't want any of that stuff washing, out into the river.Today homenwne?s.and businesses are embracing Florida frigndly Landscaping guidé lines, part bfahextension prograntito-red water and fertilizer use. Nnd increasingly, sugar- cane, vegetable, aifel ride farmiers—amoiiy thie major contributors of rittienitsthat fuel blooms—are adopting voluntaFyescience-based “nutrient stewardship programs” to reduce thet industry’s impact on water quality. ‘We'te not the bad guys,” says Eric Hopkins, a third-generation vegetable and sugarcane grower in Palm Beach County, about 25 miles from Indian River Lagoon. “Everybody plays a part in messing things up, and everyone can play a part in fixing things.” In 2021, Hopkins says, farmers in his area reduced phosphorus, ce NEITHER PREDATOR NOR PREY, THESE PEACEABLE CREATURES ARE EVOLUTIONARILY DEVOID OFAGGRESSION. ‘Ugadingpollutant, by sgpereq?Smore than twice what was Tequited by lain Adopting nliffient-stewardship techiniquessayes farmers mones, Hopkins says: But most importantyit's “the right thing to do. If we don't maintain the viability of our Jand, we're just partingourselyes out ofbusiness.” ETTY OsceoLa—an educator, comserva- tionist, and clean-water advocatewho grew upin Florida’s Everglades—is' a THémber of the Miccosukee TribgeShe say her mother and grandmother ould tell stdries about seeing manatees deép within the heart of the “tiverofigrass.” Now, roads and levees bloek then from swimming so Farinland. “There has to be a mind shift,” Osceola says. “If you think about healing the water body, about healing thedand, you'll see much more improvementversus managing, éradicat Part of the shift, she says, is forfnore peoplé td understand that we're within a lv manatees; plant life, and alfof us dre intereon- netted.*can't Speak forothexindigenoxis people, bbut from my upbringing, werSalwayssaught to looksat evervthingaraund yoiras yoursélative, says. “You're a part ofthat, Wé allfiave our place uid obi purpose, ald weal hae to help foster life foreackt other, Ascalves, martifées learn survival skills from theif fHdthers. Humans aren’t so different. When Iwas growing up, my parents took us to Crystal River to spend time with our grandparents, who taught us about the world we were inheriting. After dinner, we'd sit outside, watching the heat lightning flicker in the distance and listening to ts drift ac water. Sometimes another sound would jolt us to attention: Pffff! ip for air. O wgsystem where the music of frogs and ins ross the ‘a manatee coming FOR LOVE OF MANATEES 97Peery Pci) Ree ies shrine reminds travel- Seni es ela ierrsc art cg eo Breet gcc eeu Peni way of life,ONCE OFF- LIMITS 10 OUTSIDERS, AVA AU UREN I$ NOW OPENING UR Tats Pave Cad ERR ea SEYBUT WILL ITS 1 CULTURE, Aaa Hamas tae SULT SSh AA WHAT'S COMING?eee aoe) Beenie Ra ieee ony fabled, historic cap- Peete ee ces eee Ata Crereeenr rene CE ee) Lune nr) CM cacisTHE KING OF MUSTANG WILL SEE YOU NOW DRESSED IN WELL-WORN JEANS andagreen fleece eilinged room in his centuri was reciting a Buddhist chan y fingering a string of prayer beads. Around him, the wells anil woo: ging rod weke decorated of Biiddhist deities. Some wore gold robes and reclined blissfully. Others, bearing swords and) stirounded'by flames; howléd with fage. it Was iid-Ogtober, anditucked away in this, barren. rnge Of fooiilison the northern edge of the Himalaya, thé cold, eafthen walls ofthe drafty palace hintetatthe o1lsét 6f winter A window offered view over the 6e0-year-old walled city of Lo Manthang, tHe Ristorieeapital of Nepal's fabled Mustang region, situated just 10 miles from the Chinese border. Tight rows of whitewashed mud-brick and rammed-earth buildings extended below. Smoke curled from the rooftops, and groves of Himalayan pop- lars, their luminous golden leaves near their peak, shimmered in the afternoon breeze. To the southeast, braids of the Kali Gandaki River ats holding up the sag ith intricate paintings 102 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Bista holds the prayer beads of his father, the last official king of Mustang. The Nepali government dissolved the monarchy in 2008, yet the people still look to Jigme for guid- ance and leadership.spread out like a fan across the valley, flowing toward an imposing wall of snoweapped peaks that gleamed against the deep-blue sky. Such a view was once off-limits to for like me. For much of the 20th century, ac ‘Mustang was tightly controlled by the Nepali gov- ernment. But now, the king had brought meto his, deteriorating palace to show me one of the many challenges his kingdom faces in the modem ages. The king’s full name is JigmeSin Bista, but he'd introducedifimself to me sia ply as Jigme. He is slefi@grWith thistning gray hair, and possesses/an nergy tharbelieshis six decades. He'd imbly led me ofia dimly litobsta- cle course tiftoxghithe palace, witch his family had beew forced to leave afer it was severely damagéd during atvearthquake in 2015, We'd climedtrembling wooden staircases, navigated gaping holesin the floor, and skirted crumbling wally décorated vith mud-streaked nturals ‘Despitethe/palace’s decrepitude, the room svblere Wenow stood seemed tobe extremely well pfeseryed. Jigme noticed me looking at a por- traitof a man and a woman wearing traditional Tibet tobes. ‘My parents,” he said. “This was ny fath@r’s prayer room, He was the last king of ‘Mustang, the 25th in ourlineage.Lam the 26th.” omy left, a sandalwood cabinet, covered in gold leaf, stretched from floor to ceiling. Inside, ajumble of bronze figurines depicting Buddhist deities gaze out throughiglass doors. A cluster ‘of votivedamps burning yak butter filled the room withthe distinctive smoky, sour scent that imbues Buddhist emples across the Himalaya, Jigine explained that the figurines were more than juSt works of att—they were living spirits that have Watched over is family sitice antiquity Before placing each statu®on the altar, he said, a high monk would perform avitual to animate itwith an enlifhtened body, Speech, andimind: Now it is Jigm@qybio.watches ofr these det ties, atleast in their physiGalfornt. In the Setular world, a black-market antiquitiesdealer Could sell this small collection for a staabble fortune: For centuries, the idea of someone taking tERT was of little worry here in this isolated, devoutly Buddhist city. But the outside world finally had ascended to Mustang's doorstep, and art theft was just one of many new things that the king now had to worry about. As Jigme and I shared this quiet moment in his prayer room, I could just make out the low rumble of earthmoving equipment improvin ners to 104 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Protected only bya rope and Mustang's remote location, centuries-old artifacts belonging to the royal family gather dust in a storeroom. Pricelass religious relics, long considered safe inthe region's devoutly Buddhist community. increasingly may be vulnerable tottheft by outsiders, the road that apprdaches the city froth the south. ‘THe Heatly 300-mile jownéy frm Nepal's cap- Kathinandu,which@hce required weeks either on foot opoff the back of a horse or yak, carrnow be completed—albeit not by the faint of heart—in just three days of driving, Vehi: cles, preferably with four-wheel drive, traverse a dizzying series of switchbacks on a rough, narrow track carved along the cliffs lining the Kali Gandaki Gorge. During my journey, I was delayed by landslides that blocked the route for hours, leaving a winding line of cars stranded actoss the cliff face. Nevertheless, the road is a