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Vestigial structures are often homologous to structures that are functioning normally in other species. Therefore, vestigial structures can be considered evidence for evolution, the process by which beneficial heritable traits arise in populations over an extended period of time. The existence of vestigial traits can be attributed to changes in ...
Arrows show the vestigial structure called Darwin's tubercle. In the context of human evolution, vestigiality involves those traits occurring in humans that have lost all or most of their original function through evolution. Although structures called vestigial often appear functionless, they may retain lesser functions or develop minor new ones.
The term "engineered negligible senescence" first appeared in print in Aubrey de Grey's 1999 book The Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging. [8] De Grey defined SENS as a "goal-directed rather than curiosity-driven" [9] approach to the science of aging, and "an effort to expand regenerative medicine into the territory of aging". [10]
The two theories; non-adaptive, and adaptive, are used to explain the evolution of senescence, which is the decline in reproduction with age. [8] The non-adaptive theory assumes that the evolutionary deterioration of human age occurs as a result of accumulation of deleterious mutations in the germline. [8]
[10] [11] Examining telomeres is one of the most important fields of research related to aging. It is also very important to investigate the mechanisms of maintaining telomerase, cell cleansing ( old cells that accumulate in tissues and sometimes cause cancer and inflammation) and the production of new cells in long-lived organisms.
Biomedical theories hold that one can age successfully by caring for physical health and minimizing loss in function, whereas psychosocial theories posit that capitalizing upon social and cognitive resources, such as a positive attitude or social support from neighbors, family, and friends, is key to aging successfully. [7]
Gerontology (/ ˌ dʒ ɛr ən ˈ t ɒ l ə dʒ i / JERR-ən-TOL-ə-jee) is the study of the social, cultural, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects of aging.The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Greek γέρων (gérōn), meaning "old man", and -λογία (), meaning "study of".
These additional EPMs are the by-product traits of a species’ evolutionary development (see spandrels), as well as the vestigial traits that no longer benefit the species’ fitness. It can be difficult to tell whether a trait is vestigial or not, so some literature is more lenient and refers to vestigial traits as adaptations, even though ...