Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: May 18, 2022
How genes influence life span: the biodemography of human survival
Anatoliy I Yashin1, Deqing Wu, Konstantin G Arbeev
1Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0408, USA. aiy@duke.edu
Background:
In genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human life span, none of the genetic variants has reached the level of genome-wide statistical significance. The roles of such variants in life span regulation remain unclear.
Data And Method:
A biodemographic analyses was done of genetic regulation of life span using data on low-significance longevity alleles selected in the earlier GWAS of the original Framingham cohort.
Results:
Age-specific survival curves considered as functions of the number of longevity alleles exhibit regularities known in demography as "rectangularization" of survival curves. The presence of such pattern confirms observations from experimental studies that regulation of life span involves genes responsible for stress resistance.
Conclusion:
Biodemographic analyses could provide important information about the properties of genes affecting phenotypic traits.
Related Concept Videos
Life Histories
Population Growth
Applications of Life Tables
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Characteristics of Life
Gene-Environment Interactions

