The dominance of dinosaurs may have led to mammals losing their longevity genes, suggest researchers at the University of
Birmingham. This evolutionary shift prioritized rapid reproduction over longevity.
A microbiologist at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham named João Pedro de Magalhães has proposed that the rule of
dinosaurs forced mammals to speed up their reproductive cycles by eliminating
key longevity genes. This was reported by UNN with references to BioEssays and Popular Mechanics.
Details
The evolutionary pressure
that dinosaurs exerted as predators for 100 million years may have caused
"the genes that regulated the mechanisms of repair and regeneration
in mammals. This hypothesis was put forward by Professor of Molecular Biogerontology
University of Birmingham, João Pedro de Magalhães, in a study
published in the journal BioEssays.
According to the
microbiologist, the era
of dinosaur dominance completely changed the evolutionary path of almost every
mammal on Earth, refocusing evolutionary efforts on rapid reproduction
instead of long life.
My hypothesis is that such prolonged evolutionary pressure on early mammals to reproduce rapidly led to the loss or inactivation of genes and pathways associated with longevity
The theory
is confirmed by the lack of mammalian regenerative abilities similar to those of reptiles and amphibians.
those of reptiles and amphibians.
Although it is only a hypothesis at this point, there are many interesting aspects to consider, including the prospect that cancer is more common in mammals than in other species due to the rapid aging process