Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

48.3K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
48.3K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

33.0K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
33.0K
Schwarzschild Radius and Event Horizon01:21

Schwarzschild Radius and Event Horizon

2.7K
No object with a finite mass can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. This fact has an interesting consequence in the domain of extremely high gravitational fields.
The minimum speed required to launch a projectile from the surface of an object to which it is gravitationally bound so that it eventually escapes the object’s gravitational field is called the escape velocity. The escape velocity is independent of the mass of the object. Merging the idea of escape...
2.7K
Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

41.7K
The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
41.7K
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

3.8K
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
3.8K
Aging01:26

Aging

713
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
713

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Remembrance of things past: Towards a life-course biology of aging.

PLoS biology·2026
Same author

Evolutionary genetics of ageing.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2026
Same author

Dietary restriction in aging and longevity.

Nature aging·2026
Same author

Past, present and future perspectives on the science of aging.

Nature aging·2026
Same author

Continent-wide differentiation of fitness traits and patterns of climate adaptation among European populations of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>.

Evolution letters·2025
Same author

A Balanced Inversion Polymorphism Exhibits a Dominance Reversal at the Gene Expression Level that Depends on Developmental Context.

Molecular biology and evolution·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

A Contusive Model of Unilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Using the Infinite Horizon Impactor
07:28

A Contusive Model of Unilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Using the Infinite Horizon Impactor

Published on: July 24, 2012

20.5K

Horizons in the evolution of aging.

Thomas Flatt1, Linda Partridge2,3

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.

BMC Biology
|August 21, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Evolutionary biology explains aging through genetic principles, with selection decline. Recent research reveals aging is complex, not universal, and potentially druggable, with ongoing challenges in human healthspan.

More Related Videos

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

4.3K
Molecular Evolution of the Tre Recombinase
12:02

Molecular Evolution of the Tre Recombinase

Published on: May 29, 2008

10.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 6, 2026

A Contusive Model of Unilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Using the Infinite Horizon Impactor
07:28

A Contusive Model of Unilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Using the Infinite Horizon Impactor

Published on: July 24, 2012

20.5K
Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

4.3K
Molecular Evolution of the Tre Recombinase
12:02

Molecular Evolution of the Tre Recombinase

Published on: May 29, 2008

10.1K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • The evolutionary theory of aging, developed between the 1930s-1950s and experimentally validated by the 1980s, posits aging evolves due to declining selection with age (mutation accumulation or early-life fitness benefits).
  • This established framework has been significantly expanded and challenged by recent research over the past 35 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review major insights and emerging challenges in the evolution of aging.
  • To synthesize recent findings that refine or question established theories.
  • To highlight current challenges and future directions in aging research.

Main Methods:

  • Review of major insights and challenges in the evolution of aging over the last 35 years.
  • Synthesis of experimental and theoretical findings.
  • Analysis of conserved aging pathways and senescence patterns.

Main Results:

  • Selection does not always decline with age.
  • Higher extrinsic mortality does not consistently accelerate aging.
  • Conserved pathways regulate aging rate, and senescence patterns are diverse.
  • Aging is not a universal biological process.
  • Lifespan trade-offs can be overcome, and aging may be targetable with drugs.
  • Human life expectancy is increasing, but compressing late-life morbidity remains a key challenge.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of aging is more complex than previously understood, with nuances in selection dynamics and mortality effects.
  • Aging is influenced by conserved pathways, exhibits diverse patterns, and is not universally applicable across all organisms.
  • Future research should focus on druggable aging mechanisms and addressing the challenge of compressing morbidity in aging human populations.