World's Oldest Creature is Revealed to be 507-year-old Shellfish called Ming

A clam named ' Ming ' was confirmed as the world 's oldest animals 507 years old .

Ming saw off Queen Elizabeth I , the English Civil War , the full explanation , the Industrial Revolution and two World Wars .

But its life comes to an abrupt end seven years ago when scientists from Bangor University dredged the seabed near the Iceland as part of a study on climate change .

Do not know the longevity of the mollusc , researchers at Bangor University opened its shell for learning , killing Ming in the process .

By counting the number of rings to be seen within the shell of the mollusc , they first calculated Ming is an incredible 405 years old .

The scientists have now admitted they made ​​a mistake - and now believed to be 100 years older than first thought .

"We've got wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hasty to publish our findings back then , ' Paul Butler ocean scientists from Bangor University said ScienceNordic .

' But we are absolutely certain we've got the right age now . '

The problem with the original calculation is that some of those Ming also growth within the shell has become too compressed to be seen .

The researchers are now recalculated Ming age by looking at the growth ring out of the shell .

The ' new ' age means that the mollusc was born in 1499 .

By analyzing the oxygen isotopes in the growth rings , scientists know the temperature of the sea during the shell came into being .

What is more amazing , however , the lessons that can teach scientists about Ming aging .

Several years ago , the charity Help the Aged , given the marine biologist from Bangor University £ 40,000 to investigate why the incidence of animals so long .

The charity expects the university will be able to help unlock the secret to human longevity , or at least make it a little more enjoyable old age .

' If , in Arctica islandica , evolution has created a model of successful resistance to the damage of aging , it is possible that an investigation of the tissues of Methuselahs real life can help us to understand the process of aging , ' Chris Richardson said researchers .

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