We might think that ageing is inevitable: a slow disintegration, like a cassette tape over time. But lessons from longer-lived animals show us that this might not be the case.

Come and sing your favourite song into our lifespan-emulator and see how the tape of your life would play out differently if you’d been born a fruit fly, or a tortoise, or even an immortal hydra! How long will it play for? How quickly will it fall to pieces? And how have some animals managed to evolve such lengthy lifespans?