{"id":542,"date":"2016-11-06T20:54:37","date_gmt":"2016-11-06T20:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshmitteldorf.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=542"},"modified":"2016-11-10T20:27:23","modified_gmt":"2016-11-10T20:27:23","slug":"in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The dominant theory of aging today was conceived at a time when genes were thought to be biological destiny. \u00a0Handiwork of George Williams, it is called Antagonistic Pleiotropy. \u00a0Pleiotropy is the idea that one gene can have multiple effects, and the core of the AP theory is that there are genes that give us strength and fertility in youth, but they cause havoc later in life, ultimately destroying the body. \u00a0Fifty years after Williams, we now know that genes are routinely turned on when and where they are needed, and turned off most of the time. \u00a0More than 97% of our genome is devoted not to genes but to epigenetics, which is the regulation of gene expression, and a mainstay of 21st century molecular biology. \u00a0Why should the body ever be stuck with a gene that is doing it harm? \u00a0\u00a0Can antagonistic pleiotropy be re-cast to make sense in this age of epigenetics? \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

In 1957, George Williams proposed an evolutionary theory of aging that later became known as Antagonistic Pleiotropy<\/a>, and under than name has been the most influential theory of aging to this day. \u00a0It has formed the basis for interpreting a huge variety of\u00a0phenomena\u00a0in aging labs around the world. \u00a0Pleiotropy is routinely invoked to explain results in genetics, and \u201cevolutionary medicine\u201d is guiding (or misguiding) research priorities for the future of anti-aging science.<\/p>\n

Williams began with the idea (still dominant today) that rapid and copious reproductive output is the ticket for evolutionary success. \u00a0A mathematical measure of time-weighted reproduction is the Malthusian Parameter<\/a> r<\/i><\/b>, which Williams assumed (many today agree) is as good a mathematical translation as we have for Darwin\u2019s concept of “fitness”.<\/p>\n

I have argued that there is more to fitness than reproducing as fast as possible. The very word \u201cfit\u201d came from the notion of traits appropriate to a particular environment, a particular ecosystem. \u00a0Ecological consequences can\u2019t be separated from individual fitness. \u00a0Any individual that achieves a growth rate (r<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>that is higher than species further down the food chain has only a very short-term fitness advantage, because its grandchildren risk starvation. \u00a0I\u2019ve written about fitness in an ecological context here<\/a> and in my new book<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Genes “your way”! \u00a0Tucked away when you don’t need ’em<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, I am offering another reason to discredit antagonistic pleiotropy. \u00a0Williams\u2019s theory is rooted in the idea that if a gene is selected in evolution for its advantage early in life, then the bearer of that gene is stuck with it late in life as well. \u00a0Now that we know how routinely genes are turned on and off in particular tissues, at particular times, for just a few minutes or for years on end, it is no longer credible to imagine that the individual is stuck with a gene at a time when it has become a liability. \u00a0Can we find a way to make sense of antagonistic pleiotropy in the context of complex and robust epigenetic adaptation?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll say this much for pleiotropy: some of the genes most detrimental to the body do indeed have \u201clegitimate\u201d functions (good for the individual or her reproduction). \u00a0I have come to see the proximate cause of aging as a re-balancing of hormones<\/a>, some turned up<\/a> and some turned down<\/a>, with detrimental effect. \u00a0Inflammation is turned up too high. \u00a0Apoptosis is turned up generally, causing loss of perfectly good muscle and nerve cells, but the strong apoptosis signals that kill cancer cells before they can become tumors becomes\u00a0less<\/em> effective with age. \u00a0Melatonin (for the circadian clock) and glutathione (antioxidant) and CoQ10 (cellular energy) are all in progressively shorter supply as we age.<\/p>\n

It is common to call this rebalancing \u201cdysregulation\u201d and ask what went wrong [example<\/a>, another<\/a>, a third<\/a>]. \u00a0But I don\u2019t think evolution makes such big mistakes. \u00a0I see not dysregulation but \u00a0re-regulation or even re-purposing of a system that protects the body, toward the end of self-destruction.<\/p>\n

Mikhail Blagosklonny has written often<\/a> about a theory in which aging comes from the body\u2019s inability to turn off the genetic program that led to development and growth early in life. \u00a0He knows his stuff, and writes convincingly about particular genes (notably mTOR) and the evidence that they are being kept on later in life, when their main consequence is to increase inflammation, promote disease and shorten lifespan. \u00a0I question only the part of Blagosklonny\u2019s theory that says this is an accident. \u00a0I see it as one of the many instances in which genetic machinery is repurposed. \u00a0How does Blagosklonny explain this mistake? \u00a0\u201cA potential switch that would turn off the developmental program cannot be selected, because most animals die from accidental death before they have a chance to die from senescence. A program for development cannot be switched off, simply because there is no selective pressure against aging.\u201d \u00a0This idea has a venerable past<\/a>, but no future. \u00a0Indeed, there is selective pressure against aging<\/a>, and the cost of aging in the wild can be as high as 70% of fitness, though it is typically about 20-30% [ref<\/a>]. \u00a0This idea that aging comes about because no animals in the wild live long enough to die of old age was a brilliant insight due to a Nobel immunologist<\/a> sixty years ago; but today it is no longer tenable.<\/p>\n

Oft-cited Example of Antagonistic Pleiotropy<\/strong><\/p>\n

A classic example used to illustrate pleiotropy is Huntington\u2019s Disease<\/a>. \u00a0This is a congenital syndrome caused by a gene variant that actually increases fertility early in life, but typically around age 40, neurological symptoms begin, affecting coordination and causing mood swings. \u00a0\u00a0Brain cells die, and Huntington\u2019s is eventually fatal. \u00a0Huntington\u2019s is not normal aging, of course, but the idea is that there are other genetic variants that are so common we don\u2019t think of them as diseases but they are also promoting fertility early in life and degeneration later on.<\/p>\n

In this case, it is not the timing of the gene but the version of the gene (allele) that is caused. \u00a0Is Huntington\u2019s Disease truly an example of antagonistic pleiotropy? \u00a0Yes, in the sense that the allele causing Huntington\u2019s Disease has both a benefit and a cost, and the cost is connected to disease and death later in life. \u00a0But no, in the sense that natural selection has actually rejected the Huntington\u2019s gene time and again. \u00a0The Huntington\u2019s mutation is one that occurs spontaneously in one child, and then is transmitted to children and grandchildren. \u00a0It lasts for several generations, but would disappear from the population were it not for the fact that it is constantly being re-introduced by fresh mutations. \u00a0Here is an allele with early benefits and late costs that is being rejected by natural selection on an ongoing basis. \u00a0So should Huntington\u2019s be considered a counter-example to the AP theory?<\/p>\n

Grade inflation for (some) scientific theories<\/b><\/p>\n

Nowhere in science are theories given a pass when contradicted so frequently and so flagrantly as in evolutionary theory of the selfish gene. \u00a0Manuscripts describing evidence against the selfish gene, or theories based on group selection are routinely rejected for publication. \u00a0(This situation isn\u2019t nearly as bad as it was 15 years ago.) \u00a0But Antagonistic Pleiotropy continues to get by with a \u201cgentleman\u2019s C\u201d, because (like the Ivy League preppies), the theory has a pedigree.<\/p>\n

\u201cDirect experimental evidence for age-specific effects of mutations comes from only a handful of reports\u201d [Scott Pletcher and Jim Curtsinger<\/a>] \u00a0These geneticists actually mutated fruitflies at random and went looking for gene variations that could cause benefits at one stage of life and costs at another. \u00a0And they found them! \u00a0Except, curiously, they were all at early stages of life, and none affecting old age [ref<\/a>]. \u00a0\u201cThe main evolutionaty models of senescence are antagonistic pleiotropy and mutation accumulation, neither of which has substantial experimental support.\u201d [1995<\/a>] \u00a0Yes, that was written move than 20 years ago. \u00a0The difference today is that we now have a huge body of evidence contradicting each of these theories.<\/p>\n

May we live to see the day when scientists look back at the theory of Antagonistic Pleiotropy, scratch their heads and say, \u201cI wonder why people would have believed that!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The dominant theory of aging today was conceived at a time when genes were thought to be biological destiny. \u00a0Handiwork of George Williams, it is called Antagonistic Pleiotropy. \u00a0Pleiotropy is the idea that one gene can have multiple effects, and the core of the AP theory is that there are genes that give us strength … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nIn an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense? - Josh Mitteldorf<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The dominant theory of aging today was conceived at a time when genes were thought to be biological destiny. \u00a0Handiwork of George Williams, it is called Antagonistic Pleiotropy. \u00a0Pleiotropy is the idea that one gene can have multiple effects, and the core of the AP theory is that there are genes that give us strength ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Josh Mitteldorf\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-06T20:54:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-11-10T20:27:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Josh Mitteldorf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Josh Mitteldorf\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1\"},\"headline\":\"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense?\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-06T20:54:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-11-10T20:27:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1373,\"commentCount\":9,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2016\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/\",\"name\":\"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense? - Josh Mitteldorf\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-06T20:54:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-11-10T20:27:23+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/06\\\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\",\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"description\":\"Aging Matters\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/1058476001.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/1058476001.jpg\",\"width\":864,\"height\":363,\"caption\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1\",\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\"},\"description\":\"Josh Mitteldorf studies evolutionary theory of aging using computer simulations. The surprising fact that our bodies are genetically programmed to age and to die offers an enormous opportunity for medical intervention. It may be that therapies to slow the progress of aging need not repair or regenerate anything, but only need to interfere with an existing program of self-destruction. Mitteldorf has taught a weekly yoga class for thirty years. He is an advocate for vigorous self care, including exercise, meditation and caloric restriction. After earning a PhD in astrophysicist, Mitteldorf moved to evolutionary biology as a primary field in 1996. He has taught at Harvard, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, LaSalle and Temple University. He is presently affiliated with MIT as a visiting scholar. In private life, Mitteldorf is an advocate for election integrity as well as public health. He is an avid amateur musician, playing piano in chamber groups, French horn in community orchestras. His two daughters are among the first children adopted from China in the mid-1980s. Much to the surprise of evolutionary biologists, genetic experiments indicate that aging has been selected as an adaptation for its own sake. This poses a conundrum: the impact of aging on individual fitness is wholly negative, so aging must be regarded as a kind of evolutionary altruism. Unlike other forms of evolutionary altruism, aging offers benefits to the community that are weak, and not well focussed on near kin of the altruist. This makes the mechanism challenging to understand and to model. more at http:\\\/\\\/mathforum.org\\\/~josh\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/AgingAdvice.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/author\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense? - Josh Mitteldorf","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense?","og_description":"The dominant theory of aging today was conceived at a time when genes were thought to be biological destiny. \u00a0Handiwork of George Williams, it is called Antagonistic Pleiotropy. \u00a0Pleiotropy is the idea that one gene can have multiple effects, and the core of the AP theory is that there are genes that give us strength ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/","og_site_name":"Josh Mitteldorf","article_published_time":"2016-11-06T20:54:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-11-10T20:27:23+00:00","author":"Josh Mitteldorf","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Josh Mitteldorf","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/"},"author":{"name":"Josh Mitteldorf","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/person\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1"},"headline":"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense?","datePublished":"2016-11-06T20:54:37+00:00","dateModified":"2016-11-10T20:27:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/"},"wordCount":1373,"commentCount":9,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2016","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/","name":"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense? - Josh Mitteldorf","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-11-06T20:54:37+00:00","dateModified":"2016-11-10T20:27:23+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2016\/11\/06\/in-an-age-of-epigenetics-does-antagonistic-pleiotropy-still-make-sense\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"In an Age of Epigenetics, Does Antagonistic Pleiotropy Still Make Sense?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/","name":"Josh Mitteldorf","description":"Aging Matters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#organization","name":"Josh Mitteldorf","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1058476001.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1058476001.jpg","width":864,"height":363,"caption":"Josh Mitteldorf"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/person\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1","name":"Josh Mitteldorf","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Josh Mitteldorf"},"description":"Josh Mitteldorf studies evolutionary theory of aging using computer simulations. The surprising fact that our bodies are genetically programmed to age and to die offers an enormous opportunity for medical intervention. It may be that therapies to slow the progress of aging need not repair or regenerate anything, but only need to interfere with an existing program of self-destruction. Mitteldorf has taught a weekly yoga class for thirty years. He is an advocate for vigorous self care, including exercise, meditation and caloric restriction. After earning a PhD in astrophysicist, Mitteldorf moved to evolutionary biology as a primary field in 1996. He has taught at Harvard, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, LaSalle and Temple University. He is presently affiliated with MIT as a visiting scholar. In private life, Mitteldorf is an advocate for election integrity as well as public health. He is an avid amateur musician, playing piano in chamber groups, French horn in community orchestras. His two daughters are among the first children adopted from China in the mid-1980s. Much to the surprise of evolutionary biologists, genetic experiments indicate that aging has been selected as an adaptation for its own sake. This poses a conundrum: the impact of aging on individual fitness is wholly negative, so aging must be regarded as a kind of evolutionary altruism. Unlike other forms of evolutionary altruism, aging offers benefits to the community that are weak, and not well focussed on near kin of the altruist. This makes the mechanism challenging to understand and to model. more at http:\/\/mathforum.org\/~josh","sameAs":["http:\/\/AgingAdvice.org"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/author\/joshmitteldorf\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtN8h-8K","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}