Elders contribute to the fitness of younger individuals by caring for grandchildren and passing down important cultural knowledge. Credit: USDA
Many human gene variants have evolved specifically to protect older adults against neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, thus preserving their contributions to society, report researchers. “We unexpectedly discovered that humans have evolved gene variants that can help protect the elderly from dementia,” said Prof Ajit Varki, MD. “Such genes likely evolved to preserve valuable and wise grandmothers and other elders, as well as to delay or prevent the emergence of dependent individuals who could divert resources and effort away from the care of the young.”
The standard model of natural selection predicts that once the age of reproduction en...
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