title: A new hypothesis of aging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are over 300 hypotheses of aging, but none of them has enough predictive power to explain most experiments and observations on this process. On the basis of a critical analysis of the most relevant data on aging, especially on the factors that influences its rhythm, we present a new hypothesis, as well as the way the hypothesis' predictions explain some of the phylogenetic implications of the aging process.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hypothesis starts from a new, biochemical view on evolution and the behavior of living matter. According to this view, life is a fabric of chemical reactions that sustain each other. Reactants and energy support are needed for these reactions to take place in a cell. Given this, aging stems from a leftward shift of the global equilibrium of some biochemical reactions involved in cell differentiation and repair, which take place at a high level during the organism's growth period. In time, for species with evident aging, some reactions lose their specificity, which affects cell division and differentiation. This, in turn, influences cell energy metabolism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cell and tissue degeneration appears when, while some specific reactions are absent, non-specific reactions such as those of cell proliferation receive additional energy support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This hypothesis explains phylogenetic differences related to lifespan and longevity, and body-size differences between species and within the same species.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: ama99dia@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Amalia Gabriela
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Diaconeasa
authors.affiliation: "Ana Aslan" National Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rachita
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania; Laboratory of Electrochemistry and PATLAB, National Institute of Research for Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter, 202 Splaiul Independentei Str., 060021 Bucharest-6, Romania.
authors.forename: Raluca-Ioana
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Stefan-van Staden
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny