It is not surprising that one of the most complex phenomena in nature is that of ageing. It does not only bear biological interest, but it is also associated with cultural, psychological, social and even philosophical issues. It is therefore to be expected that a great deal of research is being performed in order to study the evolution of ageing and, more specifically, the evolution of human ageing. Historical aspects of this evolution will be discussed. Evidence from a variety of sources shows that the human lifespan is increasing, and may well continue to increase to levels that are difficult to predict. In addition, the most important theories about ageing based on evolutionary principles will be examined. Examples are mutation accumulation, antagonistic pleiotropy and the disposable soma theory. Finally, a section about future evolution of human ageing, based upon newly emerging research, will shed some light and provide speculative-provocative ideas about the future of ageing in humans.

中文翻译：

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历史上的老龄化：人类寿命的演变。

毫不奇怪，自然界中最复杂的现象之一就是衰老。它不仅具有生物学意义，而且还与文化、心理、社会甚至哲学问题相关联。因此，可以预期正在进行大量研究以研究衰老的演变，更具体地说，是人类衰老的演变。将讨论这种演变的历史方面。来自各种来源的证据表明，人类的寿命正在增加，并且很可能会继续增加到难以预测的水平。此外，还将研究基于进化原理的最重要的衰老理论。例子有突变积累、拮抗多效性和一次性躯体理论。最后，