Hotelling Lectures: Steven N. Evans, University of California – Berkeley

Steven N. Evans, Departments of Mathematics and Statistics, University of California at Berkeley

Title: Some mathematical insights into aging and mortality

Abstract: In 1825 Benjamin Gompertz noted that, to a reasonable approximation, mortality rates after maturity in the British population increased exponentially with age. This unexpected yet simple relationship has since been seen in many multi-cellular organisms. Recently, it has been observed that this exponential increase appears to level off in extreme old age. I will discuss ongoing work that has as its ultimate goal the development of a quantitative framework that more fully explains how these patterns of mortality result from natural selection.