Seely S
Med Hypotheses. 1980 Aug;6(8):873-82. doi: 10.1016/0306-9877(80)90011-0.
In the comparatively short history of human evolution man's lifespan has doubled, posing the question, by what means was this prolongation of life achieved. One line of thought correlates lifespan with oxygen consumption and energy generation, pointing out that small homeothersms which expend energy at a very high rate, are invariable short lived, while animals living more economically in terms of energy expenditure, like some heterotherms and large homeotherms, can attain greatly increased lifespan potentials. The correlation between lifespan and energy expenditure is generally valid, but some animals with low energy needs, notably tropical animals and some lethargic, inactive animals, do not live as long as expected on the basis of the theory. The present paper suggest that the aging process could be accelerated by hyperthermia and the longevity of some homeotherms, beside its connection with energy needs, could also be correlated with the evolution of temperature regulating mechanisms, resulting in more accurate thermal homeostasis. Man's uniquely capacious sweating mechanism, for example, may play a part in the attainment of his long life.
在人类进化相对较短的历史中，人类的寿命已经翻倍，这就提出了一个问题：寿命的延长是通过什么方式实现的。一种思路将寿命与氧气消耗和能量产生联系起来，指出那些以非常高的速率消耗能量的小型恒温动物寿命无一例外都很短，而在能量消耗方面生活得更经济的动物，比如一些变温动物和大型恒温动物，能够获得大大增加的寿命潜力。寿命与能量消耗之间的关联通常是成立的，但一些能量需求较低的动物，特别是热带动物和一些行动迟缓、不活跃的动物，并没有按照该理论预期的那样长寿。本文认为，体温过高可能会加速衰老过程，一些恒温动物的长寿，除了与能量需求有关外，还可能与温度调节机制的进化有关，从而实现更精确的热稳态。例如，人类独特的强大排汗机制可能在其长寿的实现中发挥了作用。
