Evolutionary Genetic Mechanisms of Aging

The review systematizes the evolutionary genetic approaches to the problem of aging, basing on the concepts of different reliabilities of separate biological processes and of balance between the reliabilities of these processes at a level that guarantees survival and reproduction in aggressive environment. The basic concepts of the Kirkwood’s disposable soma theory, according to which the viability potential is determined by a compromise in the allocation of the organism’s resources between reproduction and repair and maintenance of the soma are discussed. The basic concepts of the balance evolutionary genetic theory of aging are presented.