How African turquoise killifish press the pause button on aging

The fish can double their life span by temporarily halting cell and organ growth while embryos

African turquoise killifish embryos put organ development on hold during a state of suspended growth called diapause. Organs like the brain, eyes and ears (pictured in a developmentally suspended embryo) enter diapause with multiple cell types, such as precursor nerve cells (pink), glial cells (blue) and mature nerve cells (green).

Chi-Kuo Hu

When the ponds where one African fish lives dry up, its offspring put their lives on pause.