Ageing, marked by diminishing survival and fertility, is almost universal in the Tree of Life, yet species exhibit diverse ageing rates. For example, mayflies live only a few days, whereas Greenland sharks can live over 400 years. The lifespan also varies between sexes; women generally live about 10% longer than men. To understand why ageing has evolved, several evolutionary theories, such as mutation accumulation and disposable soma, have been developed. According to mutation accumulation, ageing occurs because natural selection is not effective in weeding out mutations that harm us later in life. The disposable soma theory proposes that natural selection prioritizes reproduction over the long-term maintenance of our bodies. This research explores how these different mechanisms are connected to each other by focusing on the significant role of reproductive tissue in the process. This research has implications for how lifespan extension can be connected to our reproductive health.

2024

2028