Phenomenological theory of mortality evolution: Its singularities, universality, and superuniversality

被引:24
作者
Azbel, MY [1 ]
机构
[1] Tel Aviv Univ, Sch Phys & Astron, IL-69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
关键词
mortality curves; universality; evolution;
D O I
10.1073/pnas.96.6.3303
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
The probability to survive to the age x universally increases with the mean lifespan (x) over bar. For species as remote as humans and flies, for a given x the rate of its evolution with (x) over bar is constant, except for the narrow vicinity of a certain (x) over bar = x* (which equals 75 Sears for humans and 32 days for flies and which is independent of age, population, and living conditions). At (x) over bar congruent to x* the evolution rate jumps to a different value. Its next jump is predicted at (x) over bar congruent to 87 years for humans and congruent to 59 days for flies. Such singularities are well known in physics and mathematics as phase transitions, In the considered case different population "phases" have significantly different survival evolution rates. The evolution is rapid-life expectancy may double within a lifespan of a single generation. Survival probability depends on age x and mean longevity (x) over bar only (for instance, survival curves of 1896 Swedes and 1947 Japanese with approximately equal (x) over bar are very close, although they are related to different races in different countries at different periods in their different history.) With no adjustable parameters, its presented universal law quantitatively agrees with all lifetable data. According to this law, the impact of all factors but age reduces to the mean lifespan only. In advanced and old age, this law is superuniversal-it is approximately the same for species as remote as humans and flies. It yields survival probability that linearly depends on the mean lifespan (x) over bar. As a result, when human (x) over bar almost doubles (from 35.5 to 69.3 gears), life expectancy at 70 years increases from 8 to 9.5 Sears only. Other implications of the universal law are also considered.
引用
收藏
页码:3303 / 3307
页数:5
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