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A 97-generation experiment just undercut a long-held theory of exercise and aging

cnas.ucr.edu

A 97-generation experiment just challenged what scientists thought they knew about exercise and aging — raising the question of whether the old theory ever held up.

Evolutionary TheoryHormesisLife History TheoryAntagonistic Pleiotropy

Theory Briefing

  • A 97-generation experiment — an unusually long-running study — produced results that undercut a widely accepted theory linking exercise to aging.
  • The findings suggest the relationship between physical activity and how organisms age may be more complicated than the prevailing model assumed.
  • Running the experiment across 97 generations means the effects observed are deeply embedded, not a short-term or incidental result.