ArticleAging cell2007
On the evolutionary origin of aging.
Article in Aging cell, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed.
- A conserved post-maturity imbalance between housekeeping and integrative genome activity in aging.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Article
- Wanted: A population genetic theory of biological noise regulation.PLoS genetics · 2026Article
- Article
- Growth Phase-Dependent Changes in the Carbohydrate Metabolism of Penicillium Strains from Diverse Temperature Classes in Response to Cold Stress.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Anthocyanin-Binding Affinity and Non-Covalent Interactions with IIS-Pathway-Related Protein Through Molecular Docking.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Article
- Progressive decline in old pole gene expression signal enhances phenotypic heterogeneity in bacteria.Science advances · 2024Article
- Balance between asymmetric allocation and repair of somatic damage in unicellular life forms as an ancient form of r/K selection.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Unicellular life balances asymmetric allocation and repair of somatic damage representing the origin of r/K selection.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Behavioural changes in slime moulds over time.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Does symmetry preclude the evolution of senescence? A comment on Pen and Flatt 2021.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Article
- The influence of evolutionary history on human health and disease.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2021Review
- Asymmetry, division of labour and the evolution of ageing in multicellular organisms.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2021Review
- The Evolution of the Hallmarks of Aging.Frontiers in genetics · 2021Review
- Senescence in Bacteria and Its Underlying Mechanisms.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2021Review
- Article
- The synergy of damage repair and retention promotes rejuvenation and prolongs healthy lifespans in cell lineages.PLoS computational biology · 2020Article
- Protein aggregation in bacteria.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2020Review
- Age-specific variations in hematological and biochemical parameters in middle- and large-sized of dogs.Journal of veterinary science · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
It is generally believed that the first organisms did not age, and that aging thus evolved at some point in the history of life. When and why this transition occurred is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Recent reports of aging in bacteria suggest that aging predates the emergence of eukaryotes and originated in simple unicellular organisms. Here we use simple models to study why such organisms would evolve aging. These models show that the differentiation between an aging parent and a rejuvenated offspring readily evolves as a strategy to cope with damage that accumulates due to vital activities. We use measurements of the age-specific performance of individual bacteria to test the assumptions of the model, and find evidence that they are fulfilled. The mechanism that leads to aging is expected to operate in a wide range of organisms, suggesting that aging evolved early and repeatedly in the history of life. Aging might thus be a more fundamental aspect of cellular organisms than assumed so far.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.