Evidence mapPaperPMID 42115756Full record

ReviewNature reviews. Genetics2026

Evolutionary genetics of ageing.

Handan Melike Dönertaş, Linda Partridge

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Nature reviews. Genetics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Handan Melike DönertaşLeibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), Jena, Germany. melike.donertas@leibniz-fli.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9788-6535
Linda PartridgeInstitute of Healthy Ageing, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK. linda.partridge@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9615-0094

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Modern humans now routinely survive to advanced ages, in far greater proportions than ancestral populations, and thus experience the consequences of molecular pathways optimized for youth yet still active in old age. Natural selection weakens over the course of adulthood, creating a selection 'shadow' in which deleterious late-acting mutations accumulate and alleles with early-life benefits persist despite late-life costs. An evolutionary lens helps us to understand puzzling patterns - from conserved longevity pathways spanning the tree of life to a 100-fold variation in maximum lifespan across vertebrates - and explains why age-related diseases share genetic architectures. Advances in comparative genomics, large-scale human genetic studies and multi-omics ageing biomarkers now enable rigorous testing of evolutionary predictions. This Review integrates evolutionary genetics with molecular mechanisms to clarify why ageing evolves, how it varies across species and individuals, and how these insights can guide healthspan extension.

Indexed as

AgingBiological EvolutionEvolution, MolecularLongevityAnimalsGenomicsHumansMutationSelection, Genetic

Identifiers

PMID42115756

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.