X-Message-Number: 12811
From: "John Clark" <>
Subject: Longevity
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 11:34:41 -0500

    >>Me:

    >>He can not find any down side to the mice at all but he speculates there 
    must

    >>be one someplace because otherwise evolution would already have found this
    fix;

Rand Simberg <> in #12806 Wrote:

    >I would conclude from this statement that he doesn't understand evolution.
    >From the standpoint of evolution, there is nothing broken to "fix."  There
    >is no obvious benefit to the mouse genotype from in having the phenotypes
    >live longer than they already do,


That's not what I would conclude. I would conclude that long life for mice would

be an evolutionary advantage and the advantage is obvious, it just isn't very 
big;

it would not be worth even a small reduction in the fertility rates of young 
mice.

At least it wouldn't be worth it from evolution's point of view, the mice may 
have
another opinion on the subject.

     John K Clark       

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