How Millions of Years of Dinosaur Dominance May Have Influenced Human Aging and Lifespan: The Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis

The Longevity Bottleneck Hypothesis

A new theory suggests that human aging and lifespan are likely influenced by millions of years of dinosaur dominance.

Noticeable Aging in Mammals

While some reptiles and amphibians show no noticeable signs of aging before they die, all mammals, including humans, show noticeable developments in their appearance as they age.

Evolutionary Pressure on Mammals

A new theory, dubbed the “longevity bottleneck hypothesis,” suggests that mammals faced constant pressure to reproduce rapidly during the age of dinosaurs. Over the course of more than 100 million years, this likely led to the disruption or loss of genes associated with long life, such as tissue regeneration and DNA repair, according to the study published in the journal BioEssays.

Implications for Human Aging

“While humans are among the longest-living animals, there are many reptiles and other animals that have a much slower aging process and show minimal signs of aging over their lifetime,” said study author João Pedro de Magalhaes from the University of Birmingham. Dr Magalhães added: “The longevity bottleneck hypothesis may shed light on the evolutionary forces that have shaped mammalian aging over millions of years.”

Impact of Predatory Dinosaurs

Studies have shown that some of the first mammals lived at the bottom of the food chain and may have spent more than 100 million years during the age of dinosaurs evolving to survive through rapid reproduction. “I think that this long period of evolutionary pressure had an impact on the way we humans age,” Dr. Magalhães explained. He continued: “While some animals have truly remarkable methods for repairing cells and tissues as well as regenerating them, such genetic traits were unnecessary for early mammals that were lucky enough not to end up as food for predatory dinosaurs like T. rex. And while we have them now, “A large number of mammals, including humans, whales and elephants, grow large and live a long time. We and these mammals live with the genetic constraints of the Mesozoic era, and we age surprisingly faster than many reptiles.”

Exploring the Hypothesis

The biologist added that although the idea currently exists only as a hypothesis, further inquiries into this pathway may shed more light on why cancer is more prevalent in mammals than in other species.

Source: Independent

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