On 2/17/2014 1:57 PM, LizR wrote:
On 18/02/2014, Platonist Guitar Cowboy <multiplecit...@gmail.com> wrote:
Liz, you mentioned something about gout and old age? I thought this was a
metabolic disorder involving excessive purine or something... So concerning
their short lifespan, could you clarify please?
I read somewhere that the same excess of whatever-it-is allows us to
live longer as causes gout, but the details have faded somewhat since
I read it.
A bit of googling reveals the substance is uric acid. If you google
for "uric acid and aging" you will see some articles...
An interesting question is why humans are so long lived compared to other mammals of
similar size. The best theory I've heard is that having developed language and symbolic
communication it became possible for younger generations to benefit from the memories of
older generations, and so there was an evolutionary advantage for people to live longer.
But that is also what puts the short lives of cephalpods in tension with their
intelligence and ability to communicate. They don't survive to teach their young
anything, so their ability to learn is partially wasted.
Brent
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