Young to old male zebra finches (left to right): nestling, young, middle age, and old.PAUL JEREM, UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWResearchers have tried to dissect the effects of an older father on kids’ longevity. One study found that kids with older dads had longer telomeres, which may indicate better health and longer lifespan, while another observed that kids with older dads have an increased risk of psychiatric disorders. So far, there have been very few experimental studies in animals that directly test whether paternal age has an affect on offspring telomere length and lifespan.
Now, a team of researchers shows that bird embryos sired from old zebra finch fathers have shorter telomeres compared to those with the same moms and younger fathers. The study, published today (March 14) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is among the first to address whether paternal age affects telomere length of offspring using an experimental approach.
“The experimental design of this study looking at the effect of paternal age on telomere length of [zebra finch] embryos is particularly strong, allowing for confidence in these results,” writes Dan Eisenberg, an anthropologist at the University of Washington who studies the effects of paternal age on telomere length in humans and chimpanzees, in an email to The Scientist.
Finches with older parents—mothers or fathers—had shorter ...
