Executive Summary: The Greenland Shark

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The Greenland shark is the longest living vertebrate known on Earth, after researchers tested one of the females and they estimated the shark was about 400 years old. Researchers used radiocarbon dating and the sharks eye lens to figure out the age."The Greenland sharks eye lens is composed of a specialized material-and it contains proteins that are metabolically inert," Explained Mr. Neilson. The proteins from the sharks eye lens has to be synthesised in the body, so researchers can isolate the tissue that formed when the Greenland shark was a pup to do radiocarbon dating. Sharks are harder to find the age of, and the Greenland shark's age has to be found out differently than other sharks because it has no body parts where growth layers

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