Uncovering the transgenerational dimension of ageing

尽管对衰老的生物学已经研究了一个多世纪，但人们对衰老的一个有趣方面--人们普遍观察到的老年父母生育的后代寿命和健康状况下降的趋势--仍然知之甚少。这种影响可能是个体健康差异的主要来源，可能在衰老的演变中发挥作用，并可能影响人类健康。在CI Bonduiansky的研究小组和其他人最近发现的基础上，该项目的目标将解决关于调节这些影响的机制、母亲与父亲的角色以及周围环境的角色的重大问题。该项目还将为这种效应的进化影响贡献新的理论。

Despite over a century of research on the biology of ageing, one intriguing aspect of ageing – the widely observed tendency for older parents to produce offspring with reduced lifespan and fitness – remains poorly understood. Such effects could be a major source of variation in individual fitness, could play a role in the evolution of ageing, and could impact human health. Building on recent discoveries by CI Bonduriansky’s research group and others, this project’s aims will address significant questions about the mechanisms mediating these effects, the roles of mothers vs. fathers, and the role of the ambient environment. This project will also contribute new theory on the evolutionary implications of such effects.