Main description:

In this third volume on longevity Fondation Ipsen has again collected the most recent results in research on genes and diet in the evolution of human longevity, educational level and longevity, cognitive impairment and survival at older age and other contributions. The preponderance of relatively short - compared to long-lived organisms suggests that morphogenesis is easier to accomplish than is maintenace of soma, whereas the broad range of longevities of organisms demonstrates that maintaining soma for extended periods of time is possible. The underlying assumption of "disposable soma" theory of aging is that the expense of maintaining somatic cells depends on their contribution to the welfare of the germ cells.

Contents:

Time and longevity: an explanation of the gap between genes and brains?.-Life history and demographic aspects of aging in the long-lived turtle.- Lipoprotein genes and diet in the evolution of human intelligence and longevity.-Neural capital and life span evolution among primates and humans.-How did longevity promote brain expansion during primate evolution?.-Educational level and longevity.-Incidence of dementia related to medical, psychological and social risk factors: a longitudinal cohort study during a 25-year period.-Cognitive impairment and survival at older age.-What do we know about the cognitive status of supercentenarians?.-IQ at age 11 and longevity: results from a follow-up of the Scottish mental survey 1932.-Paths to longevity in the highly intelligent Terman cohort.-Subject index