Eli5 why can’t organisms regenerate tissue indefinetly, why do we die of old age
In: Biology
Because evolution doesn’t require it, and it some ways it’s anti-evolution. Once a creature breeds and generates offspring that survive, it has done what it needs to do to perpetuate the species. Of course, making more offspring helps, but at some point they don’t add much more genetic diversity into the pool. Random diversity helps the species adapt to changing conditions. Species that can’t adapt well or rapidly enough tend to die off.
In the meantime, you’ve got old farts using up the resources that could be used by the new generation(s) instead. And as /u/sirbearus points out, mistakes are being made, both within the old coot’s body and within their ability to successfully create and support viable offspring.
If there was an overwhelming evolutionary driving force that favored oldsters, then it would probably (slowly) happen through the process of evolution. Eventually. Things like DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis might need to create error correcting processes that are virtually infallible, but don’t inhibit evolutionary diversity.
**TL;DR** – Making new animals is a better evolutionary “strategy” in the world we live in.
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