Author: gogeten
Date: May 13, 12 at 9:40am (PST)
Subject: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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I was just thinking the other day... If animals have been evolving for 4 billion years why have they not yet evolved to live for e.g. 1,000 years? Most animals die fairly quickly and some live longer than humans e.g. tortoises can reach 100 years. Why have they not adapted themselves to live longer?
Author: Foquinha
Date: May 13, 12 at 9:43am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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because there's no purpose to live for that long
Author: Dragoon
Date: May 13, 12 at 9:50am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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quote FoquinhaYup. Evolution is through necessity, without necessity comes no evolution.because there's no purpose to live for that long
Author: Fury
Date: May 13, 12 at 9:51am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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They only need to live long enough to reproduce. Animals that give birth to a small amount of young are likely to live longer so they can reproduce more. e.g. humans, elephants, large tortoises, large parrots, etc.
Author: Styot
Date: May 13, 12 at 9:57am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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The Immortal Jellyfish.
You were saying?
Author: harbin
Date: May 13, 12 at 10:00am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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Probably because it serves no reason in nature. Cows have no need to live forever since they are a food source for humans. Immortality would be bad since it would also need population cullings since animals will continue to mate with complete disregard to their population, leading to an ever saturating world.
Author: Shadow of Death
Date: May 13, 12 at 10:15am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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quote StyotAlso certain bacteria and spore based life forms.
There are spores and bacteria out there that are far older than the human race. Those particular organisms can enter hibernation so extreme that it's essentially suspended animation, and can revive in ideal conditions.
I believe I heard that sharks, so long as they didn't succumb to disease or injury would be virtually immortal. Source could have been full of shit though, because I can't find anything to back that up (I read about it years ago in a book or article). It does state that certain species can live 100+ years though.
Author: Sayyed
Date: May 13, 12 at 10:30am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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Also organs naturally age and deteriorate over time.
Author: Skittles
Date: May 13, 12 at 6:22pm (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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Why have Animals not evolved to speak?
Author: walnuts
Date: May 13, 12 at 6:36pm (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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quote SkittlesBut they can.Why have Animals not evolved to speak?
Author: SkX
Date: May 13, 12 at 7:17pm (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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quote SkittlesBecause animals don't adaptively evolve towards a goal. Unless an animal has vocal cords through a mutation that increases their survivability and spread their genes, it won't happen.Why have Animals not evolved to speak?
Author: Yorkieboy
Date: May 13, 12 at 7:39pm (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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Because the whole purpose of life is to reproduce and pass on your genes. So the life-span of a certain species is related to and is balanced out with the reproduction rate of that species. If every animal lived for 1,000 years the earth would be way over-crowded because animals would be reproducing before previous generations had a chance to die off.
Also the usefulness of DNA molecules only lasts about 300 years or so I think, so no animal can live past that, There is a species of clam that can live for 270 years, but since it doesn't move around that isn't really that spectacular.
Author: hiigaran
Date: May 14, 12 at 12:01am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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you want to know what defines our natural age? as in, what makes us die from old age? telomeres. put simply, these are small parts on the ends of your chromosomes (which, for you kids out there, are bundles of your DNA) that keep them from deteriorating, much like that little plastic thing on the ends of your shoelaces keep your laces from fraying. anyway, as your cells divide, these get shorter and shorter. once youre old, and the telomeres are too short, cells are going to start to break down and die, and eventually, you along with them.
so why do some animals live longer than others, excluding other factors? ^right there.
Author: Vicarious
Date: May 14, 12 at 12:23am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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Hiigaran thanks for that post man. Something I never knew about. You learn something new every day right.
Author: hiigaran
Date: May 14, 12 at 12:31am (PST)
Subject: re: Why have animals not evolved to live for longer?
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but it does beg the question of whether or not it is possible to lengthen them, or rebuild them. it mentioned lengthening in the link, and some progress has been made with a drug on lab animals, but it does beg the question of whether it would ever be given to the public, and if so, i wonder how much of a fuss there will be over it. after all, such a drug would surely create tension between those who can and cant afford it, and quite frankly, i would be pissed off if i could get an extra 20 useful years of work and extra money to do the more expensive things i enjoy.