Gonads are the key to a long life

Longevity may be a trade off for fecundity, according to a study published in Nature (1999;399:362-6). In a novel series of experiments involving nematodes, scientists have discovered that one of the evolutionary trade offs for successful reproduction may be a shorter life.

Honor Hsin and Cynthia Kenyon, biochemists from the University of California, have found that the longevity of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans …