Aging research in vertebrates is hampered by the lack of short-lived models. 
Annual fishes of the genus Nothobranchius live in East African seasonal ponds. 
Their life expectancy in the wild is limited by the duration of the wet season 
and their lifespan in captivity is also short. Nothobranchius are popular 
aquarium fishes and many different species are kept as captive strains, 
providing rich material for comparative studies. The present paper aims at 
reviving the interest in these fishes by reporting that: (1) Nothobranchius can 
be cultured, and their eggs stored dry at room temperature for months or years, 
offering inexpensive methods of embryo storage; (2) Nothobranchius show 
accelerated growth and expression of aging biomarkers at the level of histology 
and behaviour; (3) the species Nothobranchius furzeri has a maximum lifespan of 
only 3 months and offers the possibility to perform investigations thus far 
unthinkable in a vertebrate, such as drug screening with life-long 
pharmacological treatments and experimental evolution; (4) when the lifespan of 
different species is compared, a general correlation is found between wet season 
duration in their natural habitat and longevity in captivity; and (5) vertebrate 
aging-related genes, such as p66Shc and MTP, can be easily isolated in 
Nothobranchius by homology cloning. These fishes can become excellent models for 
aging studies. They can be employed to test the effects of experimental 
manipulation on aging at a pace comparable with that of Drosophila and to probe 
the effects of natural selection on the evolution of aging-related genes.