Chance, Development, and Aging - Hardcover

"Why do the lifespans and outcomes of aging in inbred and well cared for laboratory populations of nematodes, fruit flies and mice vary so much among individuals? And why are the variations in lifespans of these animals at least as great as that [between] human identical twins who experience much longer lifespans and more diverse environments? Such questions motivated the writing of this book. Finch and Kirkwood provide a novel analysis that should be widely read, for it raises important issues of general biological and medical relevance, about the significance of chance variations during development. ... The disposable soma theory of aging permeates the book and rightly so; this theory states that selection only maintains those aspects of bodily function required for reproduction ... Thus there is no selection against aging once reproduction is achieved. ... In summary, Finch and Kirkwood have very successfully opened up an important and largely neglected field for discussion."--Cell "Why do the lifespans and outcomes of aging in inbred and well cared for laboratory populations of nematodes, fruit flies and mice vary so much among individuals? And why are the variations in lifespans of these animals at least as great as that [between] human identical twins who experience much longer lifespans and more diverse environments? Such questions motivated the writing of this book. Finch and Kirkwood provide a novel analysis that should be widely read, for it raises important issues of general biological and medical relevance, about the significance of chance variations during development. ... The disposable soma theory of aging permeates the book and rightly so; this theory states that selection only maintains those aspects of bodily function required for reproduction ... Thus there is no selection against aging once reproduction is achieved. ... In summary, Finch and Kirkwood have very successfully opened up an important and largely neglected field for discussion."--Cell "Why do the lifespans and outcomes of aging in inbred and well cared for laboratory populations of nematodes, fruit flies and mice vary so much among individuals? And why are the variations in lifespans of these animals at least as great as that [between] human identical twins who experience much longer lifespans and more diverse environments? Such questions motivated the writing of this book. Finch and Kirkwood provide a novel analysis that should be widely read, for it raises important issues of general biological and medical relevance, about the significance of chance variations during development. ... The disposable soma theory of aging permeates the book and rightly so; this theory states that selection only maintains those aspects of bodily function required for reproduction ... Thus there is no selection against aging once reproduction is achieved. ... In summary, Finch and Kirkwood have very successfully opened up an important and largely neglected field for discussion."--Cell "Why do the lifespans and outcomes of aging in inbred and well cared for laboratory populations of nematodes, fruit flies and mice vary so much among individuals? And why are the variations in lifespans of these animals at least as great as that [between] human identical twins who experience muchlonger lifespans and more diverse environments? Such questions motivated the writing of this book. Finch and Kirkwood provide a novel analysis that should be widely read, for it raises important issues of general biological and medical relevance, about the significance of chance variations duringdevelopment. ... The disposable soma theory of aging permeates the book and rightly so; this theory states that selection only maintains those aspects of bodily function required for reproduction ... Thus there is no selection against aging once reproduction is achieved. ... In summary, Finch andKirkwood have very successfully opened up an important and largely neglected field for discussion."--Cell

Chance, Development, and Aging analyses a subject that has been largely ignored until now: the sources of individual variations in development and ageing that cannot be attributed to genes or the external environment. And by doing so, this book develops new insight into ageing and the individual. Gathering and scrutinizing evidence from diverse sources, the authors examine those differences in individuals that arise during development and those that might influence outcomes of ageing. Through their research, they pose a new set of questions about the contribution of chance events during development, and although chance variations during development are well known within the sub-fields of developmental biology, there has been little recognition of their affects on variations in adult form and function. Here, the authors confront this issue with a fascinating hypothesis: chance variations in form and function, arising through development, affect individual base-line functions and individual responses to the external environment and so modify outcomes of ageing. This book will undoubtedly benefit gerontologists, geneticists, reproductive biologists, and physiologists, and it will fascinate all those interested in the outcomes of ageing.