Death spiral: 4th phase of life may signal the end is near

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by Plazma Inferno!, Jul 29, 2016.

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    Biologists separate life into three phases: development, aging and late life. But a growing body of research now suggests that there is a fourth phase immediately preceding death that scientists have dubbed the "death spiral."
    Although most of the "death spiral" research has focused on fruit flies, scientists think these studies can offer valuable insight into the last stage of human life as well.
    Scientists believe this is part of the process of, basically, genetically programmed death.
    The hope is that death-spiral research in fruit flies and other organisms could someday tell scientists more about the decline of humans prior to death.
    Basically, a death spiral in people could be the reason we often see a distinct increase in disability just before a person dies. Humans are challenging study subjects for both ethical and biological reasons, but looking at the death spiral in other organisms could give scientists a window into how this works in humans, the researchers said.

    http://www.livescience.com/55557-death-spiral-is-fourth-phase-of-life.html

    Study: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10522-016-9639-7
     

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