Why do we humans live on average 70 years...

Question

whilst other creatures have much shorter or longer lifespans

Answer 1

it has to do with heart rate beats, the slower heart beat an animal has the longer they live, all animals die with the same amount of heart beats

Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one day and about 35 million times in a year. During an average lifetime, the human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times.

this applies to mice to whales to all mammals

Answer 2

That's like asking why don't we have tails while other animals do? That's just the way things are supposed to be, but you know, hundreds and thousands of years ago, human life span was much shorter. In Ancient Egypt, for example, you were lucky if you lived past 30. Human lifespan takes a combination of genetics and human intelligence...Because of new technologies, we're living longer and longer. But imagine if creatures like mosquitos had lifespans of 80 years or so, that would be disastrous! Just like everything else, lifespans were intended to maintain the natural order.

Hey...I didn't say hundreds OF thousands of years, I said hundreds AND thousands of years. That means, you know, hundreds of years ago and thousands of years ago, SEPARATELY. Geez, I'm not THAT dumb!

Answer 3

It actually has to deal with the creation of new cells.  After a long time cells stop reproducing as well and make mistakes when they divide causes aging to happen.  So when you reach around 70, cells do not reproduce as well leaving you with a body of weak cells.  While the cell reproduction problem happens faster or slower depending on the animals genetics.

Answer 4

Because we are designed to live this long.

Answer 5

We've evolved a strange pattern of behaviour requiring slow breeding rates and ridiculously long term child care.  Seen from an evolutionary perspective, a woman having a baby at the age of 40 would be a rather pointless activity unless she was around to tell it to stop being stupid for the first 15 years of its life under non-civilized circumstances.  It would, on the other hand, be beneficial if she reached that short of age before falling too far apart.  Having had her 55th birthday, she can then gradually decay without endangering the prospects of a successful descendant (one who lives long enough to breed) all too much.

The average attainment of 70 years is a relatively recent condition that only holds for part of the world's population.  Average life expectancy is considerably lower in many places.

<<whilst other creatures have much shorter or longer lifespans>>

Most are much shorter but there are a few exceptions.  For example, a tortoise Charles Darwin reputedly collected from the Galpagos Islands in the 1830s died in Australia... in 2006.  Rest in peace, Harriet.  Independent DNA evidence is consistent with her happy hatching in about 1830.

Answer 6

evolution - we have evolved over millions of years, as have animals, we survive longer because of our environment and surroundings :)

Answer 7

pharmaceuticals

opposable thumbs...

Why do snapping turtles live to be like 120?

Answer 8

Dont tell my grandad that. Since the age of 12 he has been a heavy smoker, Takes 3 sugars in his tea at least 15 times a day and eats fry ups every morning and he's 78 and still working. Why did you say that people only live to be 70?