title: Biodemographic trajectories of longevity.
abstract: Old-age survival has increased substantially since 1950. Death rates decelerate with age for insects, worms, and yeast, as well as humans. This evidence of extended postreproductive survival is puzzling. Three biodemographic insights--concerning the correlation of death rates across age, individual differences in survival chances, and induced alterations in age patterns of fertility and mortality--offer clues and suggest research on the failure of complicated systems, on new demographic equations for evolutionary theory, and on fertility-longevity interactions. Nongenetic changes account for increases in human life-spans to date. Explication of these causes and the genetic license for extended survival, as well as discovery of genes and other survival attributes affecting longevity, will lead to even longer lives.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany. jwv@demogr.mpg.de
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Vaupel
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Yashin
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Iachine
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kannisto
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khazaeli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liedo
authors.forename: V D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Manton
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Curtsinger
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D019049:Developed Countries; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005796:Genes; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009026:Mortality