Aging Hypotheses

Importance of Some Hypotheses
for Topics Related to Aging

Wear and Tear Hypotheses, Stochastic Hypothesis, Mutation Accumulation Hypothesis, Antagonistic Pleiotropy Hypothesis, Disposable Soma Hypothesis do not appear plausible explanations of aging but their arguments should be carefully considered as:

1) Means by which aging operates (e.g.: oxidative damage kills the cells when they are not substituted by turnover; wear destroys teeth when they are not substituted; etc. If the aging program does not substitute cells, or slackens their substitution, from a certain age and/or does not substitute teeth, these actions cause aging by effect of oxidative damage, wear and tear, etc.). In short, the aging program uses oxidative damage, wear and tear effect, etc. (progressively reducing the actions against them) to obtain an age-related increasing mortality and this concept is the contrary of what proposed by the non-adaptive hypotheses.

2) Causes of alterations at ages not existing in the wild (e.g.: a pathologic gene that kills centenarian men is not removed by natural selection; a gene advantageous at ages existing in the wild may have pathologic effects at ages not existing in the wild; etc.). In short, these effects are a consequence of aging and not a cause of aging.

3) Means by which alternatives to aging operate (e.g.: wear and tear is the rule for adult insects at ages when the functions of the adult stage have been completed).