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Cold War nuclear test residue offers a clue to whale sharks’ ages

These massive fish can live at least 50 years, but probably much longer

Whale shark with diver

Chemical traces of Cold War-era nuclear tests found in whale shark vertebrae offer a new clue about just how long these massive fish live.

Wayne Osborn

By Maria Temming

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

Radioactive residue from Cold War nuclear tests has given scientists a cipher to decode the ages of whale sharks, written on the animals’ vertebrae.