A new editorial paper published in the journal Aging suggests that in multicellular organisms, there is a constant competition between neighboring cells. The underlying causes of aging have long been elusive. However, in 1977, Thomas Kirkwood proposed a hypothesis:
If an organism is able to devote more resources to more critical processes, such as reproduction, then it may gain adaptive advantages to invest less in somatic cell maintenance. The accumulation of physical damage was therefore inevitable, and his theory of the disposable body has dominated gerontology ever since.
However, as our understanding of aging increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to link all aspects of aging to the accumulation of damage. For example, mutations that increase the accumulation of damage can also extend lifespan, and rejuvenation revelations such as Parabiosis and the Yamanaka factor suggest that youth can be regained without high energetic costs despite high levels of damage.
Researchers James Wordsworth and Daryl Shanley from the University of Newcastle discuss their recently published paper on Selective Destruction Theory (SDT) in a newly published editorial. Selective damage theory proposes a mechanism of aging that is both independent of accumulation of damage and consistent with epigenetic rejuvenation. Using an agent-based modeling approach, the authors describe how aging can be positively selected without considering energetic costs.
"The mechanisms of selective destruction are currently only theoretical. In our most complete model, we show that if slow cells induce epigenetic changes in fast cells that cause their metabolism to slow down (rather than kill them), this not only reduces unnecessary cell death but also further reduces the likelihood of hyperactivity by preventing the spread of fast cells."
"Anoveltheoryofageingindependentofdamageaccumulation" published by James Wordsworth and Daryl Shanley on July 28, 2023, was published in the journal "Aging":
https://doi.org/10.18632%2Faging.204956