This relationship supports the classical theory of aging, and remains valid when other life history traits known to influence longevity such as body mass and clutch size are included into the statistical model. (sciencedaily.com)
It builds on work done by co-author Barbara A. Han of the Cary Institute, who has used similar methods to predict bat and rodent reservoirs of disease based on life history traits. (sciencedaily.com)
«With our results of a negative relationship between predation pressure and longevity that is largely independent of other key life history traits we were able to confirm the universality of the 50 year old evolutionary theory of aging on a broad geographical scale» concludes Mihai Valcu, first author of the study. (sciencedaily.com)