Researchers Identify Gene Mutations That Boost Fertility And Are Also Linked To Bodily Damage Later In Life

The New York Times (12/8, Zimmer) reported that a study bolsters the ideas of American evolutionary biologist George Williams, who believed that “growing old might ... be an inescapable side effect of natural selection.” According to the study, “researchers found hundreds of mutations that could boost a young person’s fertility and that were linked to bodily damage later in life.” The findings were published in Science Advances.