Why do we age? What possible evolutionary advantage could there be for getting old and dying?

Question

Why do we age? What possible evolutionary advantage could there be for getting old and dying?

Answer 1

Aging is at its simplest a protection against cancer.  Shortening of telomeres prevents uncontrolled cell division.  There are other processes related to aging as well though.

So, the better question would be, what advantage would there to living longer if we die of cancer sooner?

Answer 2

one advantage in dying would be competition

offspring would not have to compete with the older ones

Answer 3

Entropy would explain why we die unless we keep shoving food down and replenishing our energy.  The actual process of aging is genetically imprinted, and his question is a fair one

The entire process of evolution depends on people passing on their genes by reproducing so they can evolve, that's part of living!  However, you can't be having kids if nobody is dying since the population would increase too much and exceed the area's carrying capacity, starving a species to extinction is obviously bad for evolution.  Therefore the most efficient way to keep natural selection rolling is to have kids and die.  Maybe cruel, but nature doesn't give the slightest bit of a c**p about us being scared of growing old and dying

Answer 4

There's no evolutionary advantage, it's the simple process of evolutionary advanced wearing out over time.

There is an evolutionary disadvantage to staying alive and young forever, and that is that it would significantly decrease the turnaround time for an evolutionary change. If an animal's life span is one year, it is capable of producing an evolution in a much shorter timespan than if its life span is 20 years, or 50 years, or 80 years.

Answer 5

The problem here is what is called Darwin's wall.  This means that there is no selective pressure to evolve genetic mechanisms that increase life span much past the last age of fertility plus the time to raise the young to independence.  This applies to all animals.  No new genes for enhanced longevity can be passed on to future generations if the genetic modifications to the germ cells happened after the end of fertility.

Thus, the only way that new genes for greater longevity can get into succeeding generations is by increasing the age at which fertility is lost.  If women could deliver viable babies at age 100, there would be evolutionary pressure to push longevity to 130.

Answer 6

Entropy

Answer 7

There isn't one.  In fact its exactly the opposite.  Once we've reproduced there is technically no reason for us to live forever from a natural stand point.  For example just look at the Praying Mantis... once they've mated the female kills the male, because there is no reason for him to keep living once he's accomplished his task of reproducing.