Slowed Gompertzian ageing in long-lived C. elegans results from expansion of decrepitude, not decelerated ageing (opens in new tab)

In populations of many animal species, including humans, mortality rates increase exponentially with advancing age. The scale and rate of increase can be set by two parameters, α and β, respectively, of the Gompertz equation. Interventions that extend lifespan can reduce either or both parameters. A long-standing supposition is that β corresponds to biological ageing rate, and α to ageing-independent causes of mortality. Here, we investigate the biological basis of α and β using the nematode ...