The Longevity Bottleneck: How the Reign of Dinosaurs Could Explain Why We Age Faster Than Other Animals

Monday - December 4 2023, 21:34 UTC - 11 months ago

A recent study from the University of Birmingham suggests an evolutionary theory for faster aging in mammals than other species such as reptiles, dubbed the 'longevity bottleneck.' This theory implies that there was an intense pressure for rapid reproduction in early mammals which resulted in the loss or inactivation of genes related to longevity. The research opens up doors to further explore how understanding our evolutionary history could lead to better targeting of age-related diseases.

A recent study from the University of Birmingham has introduced a remarkable theory behind sore joints and the science of aging: the 'longevity bottleneck'. The research, published in the journal BioEssays, sees Professor João Pedro de Magalhães, an expert on the molecular mechanisms of aging, introduce a captivating theory that connects the dominance of dinosaurs over 100 million years ago with the aging process in mammals. While reptiles and amphibians such as birds exhibit minimal signs of the aging process, mammals, especially humans, display clear signs of growing old. But why is it so? .

Evolutionary forces at play .

Professor de Magalhães suggests that the struggle for survival against dinosaurs influenced the genetic constraints affecting mammals, their tissue regeneration, and DNA repair today. The evolutionary pressure exerted by dinosaurs during their Mesozoic Era reign may be the key to understanding why mammals age faster than their reptilian counterparts, said Professor de Magalhães in a statement.

"Some of the earliest mammals were forced to live towards the bottom of the food chain, and have likely spent 100 million years during the age of the dinosaurs evolving to survive through rapid reproduction," he explained. "That long period of evolutionary pressure has, I propose, an impact on the way that we humans age.

The intriguing aspect of this hypothesis lies in the observation that while humans are among the longest-living animals, there are reptiles and other species with a significantly slower aging process.

"We see examples in the animal world of truly remarkable repair and regeneration. That genetic information would have been unnecessary for early mammals that were lucky to not end up as T Rex food.

"While we now have a plethora of mammals including humans, whales, and elephants that grow big and live long, we and these mammals live with the genetic hangups from the Mesozoic era and we age surprisingly faster than many reptiles." .

Insights into longevity .

The Mesozoic Era, dominated by dinosaurs, saw mammals grappling for over 100 million years with the persistent need for rapid reproduction to survive among dinosaurs. subjected early mammals to intense pressure for rapid maturation and reproduction. Professor de Magalhães argues that this pressure resulted in the loss or inactivation of genes associated with long life, especially those related to tissue regeneration and DNA repair. Recent findings indicate that early Jurassic stem mammals may have aged similarly to reptiles, reports Forbes, further suggesting a correlation between the era of dinosaur domination and the aging process in mammals.

The longevity bottleneck hypothesis, according to Professor de Magalhães, opens doors to various angles of exploration, including the prospect that understanding our evolutionary history could provide insights into mitigating age-related diseases.

"There are lots of intriguing angles to take this, including the prospect that cancer is more frequent in mammals than other species due to the rapid aging process," he remarked. Researching this avenue further might help us unlock more secretes of aging and arm us with more efficient ways of conquering age-related diseases and conditions.