衰老是否如进化理论所预测的那样，对所有生物体都是不可避免的和普遍的？尽管有证据普遍支持这一假设，但有人提出，某些物种，如海龟和陆龟，可能表现出缓慢甚至可以忽略不计的衰老--即避免了随着年龄增长逐渐恶化的死亡风险。
在对生活在动物园和水族馆的海龟和陆龟的广泛比较研究中，研究人员发现52个物种中约75%表现出缓慢或可忽略的衰老。对于约80%的物种，衰老率低于现代人类。研究人员发现，在两种性别中，体重与成年后的预期寿命呈正相关，而性大小的二形性解释了寿命的性别差异。与人类和其他物种不同的是，研究人员发现海龟和陆龟可能因环境条件的改善而减少衰老。
附：英文原文
Title: Slow and negligible senescence among testudines challenges evolutionary theories of senescence
Author: Rita da Silva, Dalia A. Conde, Annette Baudisch, Fernando Colchero
Issue&Volume: 2022-06-24
Abstract: Is senescence inevitable and universal for all living organisms, as evolutionary theories predict Although evidence generally supports this hypothesis, it has been proposed that certain species, such as turtles and tortoises, may exhibit slow or even negligible senescence—i.e., avoiding the increasing risk of death from gradual deterioration with age. In an extensive comparative study of turtles and tortoises living in zoos and aquariums, we show that ~75% of 52 species exhibit slow or negligible senescence. For ~80% of species, aging rates are lower than those in modern humans. We find that body weight positively relates to adult life expectancy in both sexes, and sexual size dimorphism explains sex differences in longevity. Unlike humans and other species, we show that turtles and tortoises may reduce senescence in response to improvements in environmental conditions.
DOI: abl7811
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl7811