Essayer OR - Gratuit

Are elves' long lives realistic?

BBC Science Focus

|

August 2022

What's the biology behind the elves' extended lifespans in The Lord Of The Rings?

- STEPHEN KELLY

Are elves' long lives realistic?

The new The Lord Of The Rings TV show, The Rings Of Power, is a prequel set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before Frodo takes his long walk to Mordor. And yet, the show features familiar characters like Elrond and Galadriel, elves who were alive during the original The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. According to the lore of author J. R. R. Tolkien, this is because elven lifespans are tied to the fate of the Earth, effectively making them immortal. But this is not BBC Magic Focus you're reading. Surely there must be a biological reason for how elves manage to live so long, while we age, decay and die?

PLUS D'HISTOIRES DE BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

World's biggest cobweb is home to 100,000 spiders

Spiders don't normally create such large colonies, so there's no need to worry about finding one in your basement

time to read

1 min

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

A dementia vaccine could be gamechanging – and available already

Getting vaccinated against shingles could protect you from getting dementia, or slow the progression of the disease

time to read

1 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

DATA IN SPACE

An unusual spacecraft reached orbit in November 2025, one that might herald the dawn of a new era.

time to read

7 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

Climate change is already shrinking your salary

No matter where you live, a new study has found warmer temperatures are picking your pocket

time to read

4 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

A MENTAL HEALTH GLOW-UP

Forget fine lines. Could Botox give you an unexpected mental health tweakment?

time to read

3 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

Most people with high cholesterol gene don't know they have it

Standard testing struggles to detect the condition

time to read

1 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

HOW CAN I BOOST MY IQ?

If you're serious about getting smarter, it's time to ditch the brain-training apps

time to read

4 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

Humans are absolutely terrible at reading dogs' emotions

Think you can tell how our furry friends are feeling? Think again

time to read

1 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

HOW TO TEACH AI RIGHT FROM WRONG

If we want to get good responses from AI, we may need to see what it does when we ask it to be evil

time to read

3 mins

February 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

What Australia's social media ban could really mean for under-16s

Many people think social media is bad for our kids. Australia is trying to prove it

time to read

5 mins

February 2026

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size