A couple more reference links on the topic: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/02/why-are-humans-longlived.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/02/

A couple more reference links on the topic: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/02/why-are-humans-longlived.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/02/why-are-humans-lo... http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2005/04/evolution-longe-1.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2005/04/evolution-longe-1... Evolutionary histories and their effects on life span are still a rich area for research. New and interesting theories are still being developed. For example, see the recent thoughts on crowding as a path to longevity in some species: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2008/01/ouroboros-on-the-evolution-of-extreme-longevity.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2008/01/ouroboros-on-the-...