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Have human biological functions evolved in support of a life-span? | JoVE Visualize

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Have human biological functions evolved in support of a life-span?

¹Age Concern Institute of Gerontology, King's College, London, UK.

Mechanisms of Ageing and Development|June 1, 1993

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This study analyzes age-related human biological functions, finding that many decline linearly with age. The age at which these functions cease (chi(0)) offers a new comparison metric, potentially linking biomarkers to species lifespan.

Area of Science:

Gerontology
Biomarkers
Comparative Biology

Background:

Human biological functions exhibit age-related changes.
Understanding these changes is crucial for aging research and longevity studies.
Existing methods for comparing age-related decline across functions are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To survey published data on age-related human biological functions.
To establish a common metric (chi(0)) for comparing the cessation age of various functions.
To explore the relationship between function longevity, survival value, and species lifespan.

Main Methods:

Surveying published data on human biological functions.
Calculating linear regressions for functions showing a linear decrease.
Extrapolating existing functions to determine the intercept on the abscissa (chi(0)).

Main Results:

Many age-related biological functions show a linear decrease over time.
The calculated age at function cessation (chi(0)) provides a comparative measure.
Nervous and cerebral functions exhibit greater longevity, skewing the chi(0) distribution.
The data allows differentiation of functions based on apparent survival value.

Conclusions:

The chi(0) metric offers a novel approach to comparing age-related functional decline.
Longevity of specific functions, like neural ones, influences overall aging patterns.
This framework may connect biomarkers to species-specific lifespan estimations.

Applied Statistics

Have Human Biological Functions Evolved In Support Of A Life-span?