4 ms·
> Our bodies evolved in much more demanding conditions than we have now. Why do you think how our body evolved is related to longevity ?
by rixed 10y ago
> Our bodies evolved in much more demanding conditions than we have now.
Why do you think how our body evolved is related to longevity ?
- nomel 10y agoAre you asking why longevity is a desirable trait?
- ycombinete 10y agoEvolutionary longevity, beyond a point, is not something that necessarily gets selected for.
- rixed 10y agoI'm asking how selection could influence a trait that manifests itself past reproductive age.
- frobozz 10y agoLong juvenile period. A 10yo human child with living parents has a greater chance of surviving to breeding age than the same aged child with dead ones. Also, a reproductive pair with living post reproductive (but still not decrepit) parents can breed at a higher rate as they are can delegate some childcare to them.
- camkego 10y agoChildren might have better likelihood of eventual reproduction if their parents are in good health as the parents raise their children during and past the parent's reproductive age. I could even imagine present and healthy grandparents having an influence on the reproductive probabilistic success/failure of their grandchildren.
- drewgross 10y agoPeople continue to influence their children long after they stop reproducing. Genes that help you children have more children are selected for, so something like a gene that keeps you alive long enough to care for your grandchildren seems plausible.
- IanCal 10y agoAlthough there are also clear costs to this, and as you look at longer timescales the benefits become less pronounced. I'd at least say I don't see a strong evolutionary pressure for extended lifespans.
- olalonde 10y ago> I think a lot of current diseases are caused by the systems the body developed to deal with these things that now have nothing to do, like an unloaded motor spinning out of control.