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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: May 18, 2022

What determines longevity: Metabolic rate or stability?

S J Olshansky¹, Suresh I S Rattan

¹School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA.

Discovery Medicine

|August 14, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Species lifespan is linked to metabolic rate, challenging older theories. Slower metabolism correlates with longer lives, aligning with evolutionary pressures related to mortality rates.

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Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice

Published on: November 11, 2021

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Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

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Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice

Published on: November 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Gerontology
Evolutionary Biology
Metabolic Science

Background:

The "rate of living" (ROL) theory posits aging is linked to vital substance depletion.
Modern ROL theory, proposed by Raymond Pearl, links lifespan to resting metabolic rate.
Evolutionary theories suggest mortality rates influence life history strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the relationship between metabolic rate and species lifespan.
To evaluate the validity of the modern "rate of living" theory.
To connect metabolic rate predictions with evolutionary aging theories.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on aging theories.
Analysis of the "rate of living" theory and its modern interpretation.
Conceptual comparison of metabolic rate predictions with evolutionary aging hypotheses.

Main Results:

The "rate of living" theory has evolved from vital substance loss to metabolic rate.
Metabolic rate is inversely proportional to maximum lifespan (faster metabolism, shorter life).
Evolutionary theory supports slower living in species with lower extrinsic mortality.

Conclusions:

Metabolic rate is a key factor influencing species' maximum lifespan.
Modern ROL theory provides a plausible, though not fully mechanistic, explanation for aging.
Evolutionary pressures on mortality rates align with metabolic rate-lifespan correlations.