Evolution of ageing

Enquiry into the evolution of ageing, or aging, aims to explain why a detrimental process such as ageing would evolve, and why there is so much variability in the lifespans of organisms. The classical theories of evolution (mutation accumulation, antagonistic pleiotropy, and disposable soma)^[1]^[2]^[3] suggest that environmental factors, such as predation, accidents, disease, and/or starvation, ensure that most organisms living in natural settings will not live until old age, and so there will be very little pressure to conserve genetic changes that increase longevity. Natural selection will instead strongly favor genes which ensure early maturation and rapid reproduction, and the selection for genetic traits which promote molecular and cellular self-maintenance will decline with age for most organisms.^[4]

^ Williams GC (December 1957). "Pleiotropy, Natural Selection, and the Evolution of Senescence". Evolution. 11 (4): 398–411. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1957.tb02911.x. JSTOR 2406060. S2CID 84556488.
^ Kirkwood TB (November 1977). "Evolution of ageing". Nature. 270 (5635): 301–304. Bibcode:1977Natur.270..301K. doi:10.1038/270301a0. PMID 593350. S2CID 492012.
^ Medawar PB (1952). An Unsolved Problem of Biology. Published for the college by H. K. Lewis, London
^ Johnson AA, Shokhirev MN, Shoshitaishvili B (November 2019). "Revamping the evolutionary theories of aging". Ageing Research Reviews. 55: 100947. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2019.100947. PMID 31449890.

[williams-1] Williams GC (December 1957). "Pleiotropy, Natural Selection, and the Evolution of Senescence". Evolution. 11 (4): 398–411. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1957.tb02911.x. JSTOR 2406060. S2CID 84556488.

[:2-2] Kirkwood TB (November 1977). "Evolution of ageing". Nature. 270 (5635): 301–304. Bibcode:1977Natur.270..301K. doi:10.1038/270301a0. PMID 593350. S2CID 492012.

[3] Medawar PB (1952). An Unsolved Problem of Biology. Published for the college by H. K. Lewis, London

[4] Johnson AA, Shokhirev MN, Shoshitaishvili B (November 2019). "Revamping the evolutionary theories of aging". Ageing Research Reviews. 55: 100947. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2019.100947. PMID 31449890.

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