[HN Gopher] The Greenland Shark, the Longest-Living Vertebrate o...
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The Greenland Shark, the Longest-Living Vertebrate on Earth (2017)
Author : rbanffy
Score : 28 points
Date : 2025-01-18 08:56 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.newyorker.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.newyorker.com)
| tromp wrote:
| https://archive.is/xbNna
|
| > With the help of a mathematical model that linked size with
| age, they estimated that one sixteen-foot female was at least two
| hundred and seventy-two years old, and possibly as much as five
| hundred and twelve years old. Because it is difficult to
| establish background carbon-14 levels in the ocean, and because
| Nielsen and his colleagues didn't know which part of the ocean
| the sharks had been born in, the figure was inexact. Still, it
| firmly established Greenland sharks as the longest-living
| vertebrates on Earth. In theory, the biggest ones could be nearly
| six centuries old.
| zabzonk wrote:
| Can you imagine what a boring existence they must have? Live
| forever, and do almost nothing.
| salt-thrower wrote:
| Well luckily for them, I'd imagine they don't think too hard
| about it.
| apercu wrote:
| You're right, they should totally die much earlier from
| stress-related illnesses like the rest of us!
| BurningFrog wrote:
| You can also think of it as calm bliss.
| rbanffy wrote:
| "For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed
| that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had
| achieved so much -- the wheel, New York, wars and so on --
| whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the
| water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had
| always believed that they were far more intelligent than man
| --for precisely the same reasons."
|
| -- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
| alex1138 wrote:
| I consider that book/trilogy/fiveology to be canon and
| nothing can convince me otherwise
| Mistletoe wrote:
| >A Greenland shark's heart beats once every 10 seconds (6 times
| per minute).
|
| More fuel for the fire for the theory that we all get about the
| same number of heartbeats in a lifetime. Well, I'm off to do my
| weekly long run to lower my resting heart rate during the week.
| yonaguska wrote:
| Good news- I still have a much lower resting heart rate from
| running years ago- I haven't run in about 12 years due to
| compounding injuries- but the benefits are still there. It's
| finally starting to go up to normal, but it used to freak
| nurses and doctors when they'd measure it.
| Mistletoe wrote:
| I feel like gains from running stay with you a long time
| also. Once I was a runner, it was so much easier to go back
| to running five miles easily if I ever quit and went back
| to it. I think there is some body and muscle memory that
| remains.
| underlipton wrote:
| I wonder how the benefits of running regularly compare to
| living in an area where most of your daily trips are
| taken by bike or walking.
| lysace wrote:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark
|
| > The flesh of the Greenland shark is toxic because of the
| presence of high concentrations of urea and trimethylamine oxide
| (TMAO).
|
| Evolution can be so clever.
| perihelions wrote:
| Yes, but
|
| - _" The meat of the Greenland shark is poisonous when fresh
| because of its high urea and trimethylamine oxide content.
| However, when properly processed, it may be consumed
| safely.[3][4] "_
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakarl
|
| The reaction quotes are intriguing,
|
| _" That's hardcore. That's serious food. You don't want to
| mess with that. That's not for beginners." * "awful", "like a
| jellied cube of ammonia" albeit "technically edible" *
| "reminiscent of "blue cheese but a hundred times stronger" *
| "like chewing a urine-infested mattress"_
| lysace wrote:
| Ah yes, that most well-known Icelandic innovation...
| potato3732842 wrote:
| Somewhere there's a video of some Youtubers who are relevant
| in another niche eating that as part of a trip to Iceland.
| The Icelandic guy hosting them isn't a fan but eats it. The
| second guy tries it and hates it. The guy who was a
| connoisseur of french stuff says "it's like a good stinky
| french cheese" and asks for more.
| harrall wrote:
| I've had it and it doesn't taste that bad. If you don't mind
| blue cheese, it's not that much worse.
|
| It smells like cleaning fluid from under your sink cabinet
| though. That's the main issue.
| technothrasher wrote:
| I've had it as well, and it made me wretch just to smell
| it. It smelled like ammonia mixed with rotting fish
| (because that's exactly what it is). I did get a piece
| down, and you're right, the taste wasn't as bad. But
| yeah... all set with that now.
| J_McQuade wrote:
| I have also had it and it tastes like drain cleaner with
| the texture of angry spam. Only a third of a bottle of
| Brennivin made the whole experience even remotely
| enjoyable.
| underlipton wrote:
| Natto/Hakarl/Haggis face-off.
| didgeoridoo wrote:
| Haggis isn't bad if nobody tells you what's in it. I
| thought it was some kind of Scottish Hamburger Helper.
| kreyenborgi wrote:
| Surstromming: hold my beer
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(page generated 2025-01-20 23:01 UTC)