Scientists have predicted that anti-ageing treatments could be available in the next decade.
Elephants could hold important clues in the search for anti-ageing treatments
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have made the confident prediction and suspect that the answer to slowing down the process lies in elephants and "immortal" jellyfish.
The key to the creature's longevity is the ability to repair damage in their DNA and boffins are now working to make the process transferrable to human beings.
This would revert cells to a younger state that will delay the appearance of all age-related conditions.
Human bodies routinely acquire DNA damage as people are exposed to damage from everyday life - such as UV rays from the sun and pollutants in cars.
Researcher Delphine Larrieu told the Cambridge Independent: "It's a really exciting time for ageing research. I think we're going to start seeing human anti-ageing interventions appearing within the next decade."