Scientists have uncovered the secret to a long life
Humans live longer than other primates, but the reason may lie deeper than simply medicine, diet or lifestyle. A new study has shown that a slower rate of ageing may have emerged in our distant ancestors as long as 20–30 million years ago — long before the emergence of modern humans.
Scientists analysed data on the lifespan of 39 primate species — ranging from marmosets to great apes and humans. It turned out that the average lifespan varies greatly between species, but the rate of ageing itself within the great ape lineage has remained surprisingly stable for millions of years.
Details
The researchers used data from the Primate Aging Database — a database containing information on the lives of primates in zoos, breeding centres and conservation organisations. Based on this data, they assessed ageing parameters in 39 species and attempted to reconstruct how their common ancestors might have aged.
For their analysis, the scientists used the Gompertz model. This describes how the risk of death increases with age. Put simply, the model shows not just ‘how long an animal lives’, but how rapidly the probability of dying increases with age.
And here an unexpected result emerged: whilst the lifespan of primates can vary by almost a factor of 10 — from around 8 years in marmosets to about 80 years in humans — the rate of ageing did not vary as much as might have been expected.
What is the ‘secret’?
The main idea behind the study is to distinguish between two things: the risk of dying in adulthood and the rate of ageing.
The first is the likelihood of dying from disease, injury, environmental conditions, predators, infections or other factors. The second is how rapidly the body deteriorates with age.
The researchers concluded that it was the underlying risk of death that varied significantly among primates, whilst the rate of age-related decline itself proved to be more stable. In the ancestors of the great apes, it may have been roughly the same as in modern humans.
In other words, humans did not simply ‘suddenly learn to live long lives’. Slow ageing may have been an ancient trait that emerged in the hominid lineage long before Homo sapiens.
Why do humans live longer?
The study does not suggest that humans live longer solely because of a single biological mechanism. Life expectancy is influenced by medicine, diet, safety, social conditions and a reduction in mortality among young and middle-aged people.
However, the study highlights an important point: humans may have an ancient evolutionary basis for slow ageing. According to the study’s lead author, Eugene Melamud, the rate of ageing in distant ancestors, dating back to the divergence of apes and Old World monkeys, was roughly the same as that of humans today.
This suggests that looking for the biological basis of longevity solely within human populations may not be sufficient. Comparisons between different primate species are needed.
Why this is important
If slow ageing emerged so long ago, its mechanisms may be deeply embedded in the biology of apes. This could help scientists identify molecular and physiological markers associated with slower age-related decline.
The authors believe that further research should compare different primate species and look for biochemical markers associated with the rate of ageing. In the future, this may help us better understand why some species age faster than others.
However, this is not a direct path to a ‘fountain of youth’. It is fundamental research into how evolution has shaped the ageing process.
Background
Humans have long stood out among primates for their long lifespan. But the question remained: is this the result of recent human evolution, or a more ancient feature of our lineage?
New research leans towards the latter. It shows that slow ageing may have emerged in the ancestors of apes tens of millions of years ago and has remained relatively stable ever since.
This changes the very nature of the question. Instead of ‘why did humans suddenly become long-lived?’, scientists suggest asking: why did the great ape lineage acquire a slow rate of ageing so long ago, and how was this maintained by evolution?
Source
Study: Eugene Melamud, Wendy Newton, Joseph W. Kemnitz — “Phylogenetic reconstruction of ancestral ageing rates in the primate lineage”, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2026.