Why Do Animals Get Old and Die?
As we get old, we become weaker and more vulnerable to diseases. Sooner or later, our health fails, and we die. That happens to most, but not all, animal species. If we want to live longer, understanding why we get weaker is important. Many people work on the question of how aging happens. That is, they try to understand how the cells and living tissues behave as they get older. But there is a deeper question: why do humans and other animals get old at all? Do our bodies just wear out, like old machines? Or is there an important evolutionary reason for getting old? In this article, we will explore those questions. We suggest that getting old and dying serves an important purpose: when the old die, the young can adapt faster to a changing world.