Is aging adaptive?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Aging is a paradox when one considers evolutionary biology. Evolution is driven by natural selection, where advantageous traits are favoured over time and passed onto the next generation. But does aging fit into this equation?
Aging is a natural phenomenon that affects all living organisms and can essentially be defined as an increase in mortality with age. As we grow older, our bodies undergo various changes, both internally and externally. But what is the purpose of aging? Is it simply a side effect of our biological processes, or does it serve a greater purpose? In this video we’ll do just that and deeply consider a more recent proposal that aging evolved as a pathogen control strategy. there will be 3 parts: a primer on evolution and theories of aging, why they could, most likely be wrong while i introduce this newer theory, and three, evidence for the pathogen control strategy and why we should even care about all this.
Find me on Twitter - / eleanorsheekey
Support the channel
through PayPal - paypal.me/sheekeyscience?coun...
through Patreon - / thesheekeyscienceshow
TIMESTAMPS:
Intro - 00:00
Theories of aging - 01:09
Pathogen control strategy - 03:45
Thoughts - 07:00
References:
Lidsky, P.V., Yuan, J., Rulison, J.M. et al. Is Aging an Inevitable Characteristic of Organic Life or an Evolutionary Adaptation?.
Biochemistry Moscow 87, 1413-1445 (2022). doi.org/10.1134/S000629792212...
Could aging evolve as a pathogen control strategy? - doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2022.0...
Please note that The Sheekey Science Show is distinct from Eleanor Sheekey's teaching and research roles at the University of Cambridge. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Sheekey Science Show and guests assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.
Icons in intro; "www.freepik.com/free-photos-v..."Background vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com - Наука та технологія
I got some feedback from Peter about the video that is worth pointing out: "The only problem is when you discuss flight: the models says that kin-specificity of infection is the main problem. Pathogen loads might be high. E.g., in bat communities virus burden is enormous, but infections are likely occur promiscuously and not between close kin"
Yes, bats immediately come to mind. I'm not sure where the idea that infections in bats do not occur between close kin comes from. Both bats and birds often live in densely populated multi-generational communities. Probably the best person to answer that is Emma Teeling. NMRs live in close proximity with each other for decades. This theory also predicts that social animals should age faster which I think is not the case. Interesting, but demands more exploration.
I could listen to her all day. That voice and accent is 🔥🔥🔥
Nice idea!
Thanks for sharing.
Someone might want to research the integrated stress response, the environmental sensor the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor, and how they are impacted by contact with infections.
Insightful 😊
I always thought ageing was because anti-ageing just wasn't selected for beyond a certain point. I think our ancestors had a life expectancy of about 30. If you are likely to die from starvation, injury, disease etc. then you will never live long enough for small amounts of accumulated damage to kill you.
that doesn't explain the vast difference in lifespans in biologically very similar organisms or the fact that aging involved evolutionarily conserved pathways.
@@davidkatz2897
Maybe it does. Different species may be more or less adept to surviving predation and disease and may have evolved anti aging mechanisms to work up until somewhere around an age that most individuals of that species statistically don't survive past anyway.
Maybe there's a cost of some kind of trade-off between supporting the offspring you already have and the ones you could still have if you invest in living longer under slim chances of survival.
@@shulamay there has been no evidence of a trade-off between longevity and anything else. Flies and mice and worms cna be bred to be more furtile and live longer. Also, biologically very similar species, with very similar abilities to survive predation and disease, have drastically different lifespans. All evidence points to aging being caused by active chemical pathways, not a passive witering away
What's wrong with flying in water? schooling fish: like sardines: 15 years. Solitary whale shark, 100 years. I'm not saying I'm sold on this. Thanks for the video!
Rate of living theory seems correct. Exceptions are explained by membrane differences, which provide more resistance to lipid oxidation. It is seen that exceptions to rate of living can be explained by species with more resistant membranes, similar is seen in animals that live longer and in those that don't age. CR makes membranes more resistant to oxidation.
thank you
thankfully we have vaccines (especially MRNA) that may make this evolutionary adaptation moot
that would actually strengthen the case that ageing is outdated tech
interesting video
Kejun Ying's AdaptAge...
You would expect solitary animals to live longer than social animals, but I don't think that is the case.
Peter Lidsky addresses this point in one of his papers. But I also agree the pathogen control theory does not account well for this.
Huzzah!
great video! a very important theory with very important implications. But we shouldn't just dismiss the population control theory because evolution had other mechanisms to control population growth. evolution does not need to be logical, and there are many adaptations that could be argued illogical by the same reasoning. we must observe nature as it is. it is nature, not logic, that always gets the last word.
It sounds strange bc during most of humanity’s history humans died of infections and not of old age.
Aging is deemed bad as it increases our chance of death🤣
Then I am firmly in the anti- aging camp. Sounds rough.