Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
University of Lethbridge
$29,000.00
Developing and testing the evolutionary reliability theory of senescence
FY 2012-13
Summary
Aging, and the bodily deterioration that comes with it, is such a universal part of human experience that it seems inevitable. Yet, why should our bodies deteriorate, and why does our risk of death increase, as we get older? Why is aging a ubiquitous phenomenon in the tree of life, from the bacteria to the most complex multicellular organisms? And, most pertinently, given that aging is detrimental to organisms' ability to survive and reproduce, why hasn't natural selection purged it from populations, so that the only causes of death are 'extrinsic' ones, such as predation and infectious disease? These questions regarding the evolution of aging have long vexed biologists, and form the backbone of this research program. Until recently, most mainstream theories of the evolution of aging centered on genes with age-specific detrimental effects. Yet, by concentrating on functioning genes with negative effects, such theories neglect what gerontologists see as the main proximate cause of aging: the accumulation of damage due to hazards like free-radicals and UV radiation. Thus, I propose to develop and test an emerging new theory that takes a damage-centric approach to the evolution of aging. My students and I will combine Reliability Theory (a branch of applied probability that deals with damage, survival, and longevity) with Evolutionary Dynamics (a formal mathematical approach to evolution) to produce mathematical and computer models to help advance an 'Evolutionary Reliability Theory of Aging'. These models will generate hypotheses which we will put to the test using broad comparisons of species that evolved under different environmental conditions, and using a suite of controlled experiments designed to examine aging in insects. This work will help us understand the enigma of aging, a question of fundamental academic importance which also has important medical and economic implications, especially in a country such as Canada that is currently in the process of a dramatic demographic shift.
Program
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Recipient
Location
Alberta, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
386162-2010
Name nom
Laird, Robert
Department département
Biological Sciences
Organization id
12
Institution établissement
University of Lethbridge
Province en
Alberta
Province fr
Alberta
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2012
Competition year année de concours
2010
Award amount
29000
Program id
RGPIN
Program name en
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Program name fr
Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
1503
Committee name en
Evolution and Ecology
Committee name fr
Évolution et écologie
Area of application code
1200
Area of application group en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application group fr
Avancement des connaissances
Area of application en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application fr
Avancement des connaissances
Research subject code
4700
Research subject group en
Evolution and ecology
Research subject group fr
Évolution et écologie
Research subject en
Evolution and ecology
Research subject fr
Évolution et écologie
Partie
3
Nb partie
5
Application title
Developing and testing the evolutionary reliability theory of senescence
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Aging, and the bodily deterioration that comes with it, is such a universal part of human experience that it seems inevitable. Yet, why should our bodies deteriorate, and why does our risk of death increase, as we get older? Why is aging a ubiquitous phenomenon in the tree of life, from the bacteria to the most complex multicellular organisms? And, most pertinently, given that aging is detrimental to organisms' ability to survive and reproduce, why hasn't natural selection purged it from populations, so that the only causes of death are 'extrinsic' ones, such as predation and infectious disease? These questions regarding the evolution of aging have long vexed biologists, and form the backbone of this research program. Until recently, most mainstream theories of the evolution of aging centered on genes with age-specific detrimental effects. Yet, by concentrating on functioning genes with negative effects, such theories neglect what gerontologists see as the main proximate cause of aging: the accumulation of damage due to hazards like free-radicals and UV radiation. Thus, I propose to develop and test an emerging new theory that takes a damage-centric approach to the evolution of aging. My students and I will combine Reliability Theory (a branch of applied probability that deals with damage, survival, and longevity) with Evolutionary Dynamics (a formal mathematical approach to evolution) to produce mathematical and computer models to help advance an 'Evolutionary Reliability Theory of Aging'. These models will generate hypotheses which we will put to the test using broad comparisons of species that evolved under different environmental conditions, and using a suite of controlled experiments designed to examine aging in insects. This work will help us understand the enigma of aging, a question of fundamental academic importance which also has important medical and economic implications, especially in a country such as Canada that is currently in the process of a dramatic demographic shift.
