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Quote by: Night  How is death genetically/evolutionarily viable? How? I've been wondering lately, why is it in our genes to get older, and die? Why don't our cells work at full capacity their whole lives, instead of killing themselves intentionally? |
Why don't we have wings?
Why can't we have claws and super strength?
Why not painless births?
Why are our bones calcium instead of something stronger?
Evolution doesn't give us what we "need". We change at random over the course of many generations. Some changes are carried along while others cause us to die out depending on our enviroment.
Why do we age? Why not stay young until disease or injury kills us? For two reasons:
1) We haven't developed that trait. Like wings, super strength, titanium bones and painless births, we simply haven't happened to develop that genetic mutation.*
2) Depending on the enviroment, being immortal doesn't work with natural selection. A species that overpopulates in an area will run out of resources. Really, this is more speculation. The first reason is the real big one: we just haven't happened to develop that trait.
There are anti-aging scientists who are trying to figure out how to help us stop aging. According to a documentary I saw, some believe humans stop aging around 95. People in their 90's get worse and worse and worse until they hit about 95; instead of worsening their bodies stay the same... but by that time they're so far gone a cold or a stumble is enough to do them in. These scientists, they're looking for a way to crank that age back from 95 to say 35.
In our Western society, if they were to make this breakthrough, it's doubtful you or I would ever see it. There isn't a billionaire alive who wouldn't pay at least a billion to be 40 or 50 for decades... and skip 60, 70, 80, and 90.
*I remember hearing an internet rumor a few years ago about a "woman" who wasn't aging. She was 30 years old and looked 12, but was severely mentally handicapped... as in vegtable.