Re:No limit to maximal lifespan in humans: how to beat a 122...
by ben_w on Thursday December 16, 2021 @03:23AM
(#29576217)
Evolution only evolves to evolve faster where that is itself an evolutionary advantage; likewise slower only when it’s an advantage. (Where there is no advantage either way you can get drift; also fitness is at a much higher level than a particular gene).
This is why we don’t have the 30-minute reproductive period of some bacteria.
I think overall the point is right but I'd a lot of nuance.
- The evolutionary ideal lifespan for any creature is certainly limited but asking about the potential is more of a biochemical question and somewhat orthogonal to evolution.
- Some creatures fill extremely long lived niches proving that at the level of cellular dynamics, longevity is certainly possible.
- Humans no longer really depend on evolution. We'll start genetically modifying ourselves soon and I'd be surprised if there weren't any gm people walking around already.
- Our biggest limiting factor is experimentation. These experiments take a long time and aren't ethical to perform on humans. We'll certainly figure out how to make immortal rats before people.