Essay on Theories on the Causes of Genetic Disorders in...

Genetic Conditions Leading to Mortality are Common in Older People than Younger People Humans undergo several stages during their lifetime including growth, development, reproduction and senescence. Senescence is defined as the deteriorative biological changes that organisms experience as they age eventually leading to death. These changes include low metabolism, a weak immune system, memory loss, poor vision and loss of hearing. Senescence begins in humans during their post-reproductive years. However, gerontology research has shown that individuals who reproduce late have longer life spans compared to individuals who reproduce early. Nonetheless, it does not indicate that senescence is inevitable. All organisms experience senescence,†¦show more content†¦Another example includes the repression of tumorigenesis that inhibits certain cell growth at a young age but rapidly expresses harmful cells resulting in inoperable tumors at an older age. This suggests a trade-off betwe en the early benefits and the late costs. Natural selection will always favor the early benefits in young adults over the late-acting deleterious genes. Charles Williams proposed that individuals who postpone reproduction have longer lifespans because they have a higher fitness and can produce more children (Williams 409). The mutation accumulation theory was proposed by Peter Medawar in 1952. It stated that harmful mutations expressed at a younger age are selected against by natural selection to maximize the fitness of an individual. Deleterious mutations expressed at an older age are not affected by natural selection because the genes are already passed onto the next generation (Hughes 424). Over the next generations, the late-acting deleterious genes accumulate resulting in degradation of biological processes. The mutation accumulation theory and the antagonist pleiotropy theory are similar to a certain extent and can occur at the same time. However, an important difference is th at harmful genes at old age accumulate from previous generations in the mutation accumulation theory whileShow MoreRelatedAging And The Aging Process1669 Words   |  7 Pagesconcepts of aging are broken down into two theories widely accepted by several varying fields of studies such as gerontology, the study of the aging process, and oncology, the study of cancer and tumor development. The Cellular theory, which focuses solely on the idea that a species and individual’s lifespan and condition in life is based on genetic and cellular factors that predispose us to a variety of diseases. The second theory is known as Wear-and-Tear theory which heavily concentrates on the conceptsRead MoreThe Biology Of Memory Disorders955 Words   |  4 Pagesthat could make their daily life difficult. The hippocampus, limbic system, and amygdala are critical to memory and if these were damage they could cause memory disorders. 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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION......................................................1 THEORIES OF WHY WE AGE............................................2 Genetics.....................................................2 Cellular.....................................................2 Physiological