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Law of universal mortality
1School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel. azbel@post.tau.ac.il
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|September 21, 2002
Summary
A universal law reveals that a dominant part of mortality in protected populations depends on a single parameter. This biologically nonspecific mechanism suggests mortality can be significantly decreased.
Area of Science:
- Biology
- Physics
- Demography
Background:
- Mortality is a well-quantified biological phenomenon, amenable to physical study.
- Existing models lack a universal, predictive law for mortality across species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a universal law governing mortality in well-protected populations.
- To identify the underlying thermodynamic mechanism of mortality.
- To explore the potential for significant mortality reduction.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical analysis of mortality data.
- Application of principles from general relativity to biological systems.
- Verification against demographic data.
Main Results:
- A universal mortality law was established, dependent on a single parameter.
- The law is invariant to time and space changes, similar to general relativity.
- Demographic data, such as for Swedish females, support the law's predictions of mortality reversal.
- The law points to a biologically nonspecific, thermodynamic mechanism for mortality.
Conclusions:
- A significant fraction of mortality is a byproduct that can potentially be eliminated.
- The discovered universal law offers a pathway to substantially decrease total mortality.
- This finding has profound implications for aging research and public health strategies.