For more than 40 years, researchers in Shark Bay, Western Australia, have been watching the lives of a very unusual group of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). The male dolphins in this group form one of the most complex social systems known outside of humans, complete with lifelong friendships, supportive alliances, and cooperative partnerships that shape their entire lives, including how many calves they sire.

Now, our new research shows these friendships may do more than influence social and reproductive success. They may actually slow biological ageing.

Using tools borrowed from human medical research, we found that male dolphins with stronger social bonds appear biologically younger than their less social counterparts. This means their bodies show fewer signs of molecular ageing than expected for their chronological age.

This discovery isn’t just important for dolphins – it could matter for other kinds of social mammals, including humans.

You have probably met people who look younger or older than the number on their birthday cake. Scientists now know that chronological age (how many years you have lived) is not the same as biological age, which reflects how quickly your body is ageing at the........

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