The Essence of Aging

The idea that aging is a purposeful, programmed series of events is intuitively appealing based on its many conserved aspects and the demonstrated feasibility of modifying life span by manipulating single genes or pathways. Yet, the case for a nonadaptive basis of aging is strong and now all but generally accepted in the field. Here, we briefly review why the case for programmed aging is weak, with a focus on the lack of possible evolutionary beneficial effects. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel Only the gods can never age, the gods can never die. All else in the world almighty Time obliterates, crushes all to nothing. [Oedipus to Theseus] Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles Aging must have fascinated humans almost immediately after the gradual emergence of consciousness and complex thinking about 100,000 years ago in Africa [1] . Naturally, the first recorded attempts at explanation were entirely in terms of religion. Aging was seen as something Received: March 30, 2015 Accepted: August 12, 2015 Published online: September 22, 2015 Jan Vijg, PhD, Professor and Chair Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine 1301 Morris Park Ave Bronx, NY 10461 (USA) E-Mail jan.vijg @ einstein.yu.edu © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel 0304–324X/15/0624–0381$39.50/0