Horizons in the evolution of aging

Flatt, T.; Partridge, L.

doi:10.1186/s12915-018-0562-z

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Horizons in the evolution of aging

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Partridge, L.
Department Partridge - Biological Mechanisms of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Max Planck Society;

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30124168
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Citation

Flatt, T., & Partridge, L. (2018). Horizons in the evolution of aging. BMC Biol, 16(1), 93. doi:10.1186/s12915-018-0562-z.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-000B-489F-2

Abstract

Between the 1930s and 50s, evolutionary biologists developed a successful theory of why organisms age, firmly rooted in population genetic principles. By the 1980s the evolution of aging had a secure experimental basis. Since the force of selection declines with age, aging evolves due to mutation accumulation or a benefit to fitness early in life. Here we review major insights and challenges that have emerged over the last 35 years: selection does not always necessarily decline with age; higher extrinsic (i.e., environmentally caused) mortality does not always accelerate aging; conserved pathways control aging rate; senescence patterns are more diverse than previously thought; aging is not universal; trade-offs involving lifespan can be 'broken'; aging might be 'druggable'; and human life expectancy continues to rise but compressing late-life morbidity remains a pressing challenge.