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Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Measurement of Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: January 7, 2013
Early male initiation (time frame shift): a possible contributor to their shortened lifespan
1Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Therapeutics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06030-2804, USA.
Abstract:
The shorter life expectancy of human males, as compared with females, was analyzed by utilizing the assumption that the specific rate of change of disease occurrence or mortality was a function of the specific rate of change of age. Separate plots were made of log incidence versus log age, for males and females. In several disorders, the line representing males was displaced toward the origin, as compared with the females. This 'time frame shift' suggested an earlier onset of the disorder or its precursors in males ('early male initiation'). While the physiologic/genetic basis for this has to be fully determined, the earlier male 'initiation' of disorders may be a contributing factor to their shorter life expectancy.
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