The animal behind the “secret to immortality” headline is the starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis). Researchers reported that a gene called nanos2 is needed for the formation of both germ cells and other body cells in this species. The roughly 600-million-year figure refers to the inferred evolutionary age of the gene—not the age or lifespan of the anemone. The finding may help scientists study how animals maintain and form cells, but it does not establish a way to slow human aging or make people immortal.
What sea creature did scientists study?
The study concerned the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, a small marine animal. In a January 28, 2026 report on University of Vienna research, Popular Mechanics described researchers identifying a population of cells as candidate multipotent stem cells.
Multipotent cells can give rise to more than one kind of differentiated cell. The team combined single-cell gene-expression analysis—which measures RNA transcripts in individual cells—with transgenesis, a method used to track or alter gene activity in an organism. First author Andreas Denner described the identified cells as candidates because they form differentiated cells, including nerve and gland cells. “Candidate” is important: this is a proposed cell identity, not proof that these cells explain the animal’s longevity.
What does “600 million years old” mean?
The approximate 600-million-year estimate concerns the evolutionary history of nanos2, not the lifespan of an individual anemone or the age of the modern species. It is an estimate of how long the gene lineage has existed. It does not mean an animal has survived unchanged for that length of time.
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What did researchers find about nanos2?
The team examined conserved nanos and piwi genes, which are involved in regulating cells. According to the report, mutating nanos2 showed that the gene was necessary for the formation of germ cells—the cells that give rise to eggs or sperm—and somatic cells, which make up the body. That result points to a role in the anemone’s cell development; it is not evidence that nanos2 is a standalone switch for immortality.
Does this prove sea anemones are immortal?
No. “Immortality” in this headline is shorthand for interest in regeneration and limited or absent signs of aging in some animals. The reported work examined cell populations and gene function. It does not show that the anemone is invulnerable, cannot die, or has an unlimited lifespan, nor does it establish that nanos2 alone accounts for aging or regeneration.
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Could humans use this to live longer?
Not on the evidence described in the report. The research is basic biology in an anemone; no human treatment, clinical result, or demonstrated method for extending human life is established. A gene’s presence or importance in a distant animal does not by itself show that changing the corresponding biology in people would be safe or beneficial. Any human relevance remains prospective and would require substantial further research.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the report does not establish
- That a sea anemone individual has lived for 600 million years.
- That the identified cells are a complete explanation of the animal’s aging or longevity.
- That mutating or manipulating nanos2 can prevent aging in humans.
- A human therapy, clinical test, or route to immortality.
The report does not provide sample sizes or effect-size statistics, so those figures should not be inferred from the news account. The strongest supported takeaway is narrower: researchers identified candidate multipotent stem cells in Nematostella vectensis and reported that nanos2 is necessary for forming germ and somatic cells in the animal.
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