The African turquoise killifish is known for its unusual ability to pause its aging. The mechanism is considered to be evolved in response to changing weather conditions such as drought or any challenges that pose a risk to the creatures. The usual feature allows African turquoise killifish to put a brake on its development until conditions improve. Now Anne Brunet, a geneticist and her team at Stanford University, has revealed that pausing development as an embryo has no impact on the fish’s future lifespan, fertility or their development. Her team is now planning to investigate how these genetic changes can lead to healthy muscle cells and whether humans have any dormant stem cells in their bodies, that share similar pause mechanisms as killifish.