I recently read on (old) article about a Professor Cutler who claimed
that one explanation for ageing was that it was previously genetically
worthless to live past a certain age. Spefically, it would seem that
animals rarely have maxium lifetimes which exceed their average
lefetimes in the wild. For example, a mouse is lucky to live a year in
the wild before being eaten, starved, or catching a disease. the same
type of mouse will raley live more than two years in captivity.
Supposed reason is that the genes are somehow programmed to stop genetic
repair in the creature and the thing starts falling to pieces after its
useful span.
Now for man, we apparently lived 35-40 years in the wild. So according
to Pr. Cutler after about that age, our genetic repair mechanisms become
increasing less efficient so that eventually we are so out of
specification that we die. So then the key to prolonging life would be
find the device which shuts down the genetic repair mechanism in the
body and get it to shut down later.
There was more detail in the explanation than I've given here, but the
essence is described. Has anyone heard more about this theory, or any
others on ageing that may account for what's happening to us all?
Dean
(dean at qpsx.oz.au, don't use REPLY!)
Dean Economou
QPSX Communications Ltd
Perth, Western Australia.
