Why do we age?

Researchers at the Center for Ecology & Hydrology have been studying the effects of aging in guillemot wild birds. The researchers are studying whether individuals show signs of depressed breeding performance in old age, which is a sign of aging. The researchers discovered that as they approach the end of their lives, guillemots are less successful at rearing chicks and that birds which reared many offspring when they were young paid the price when they were older. Another finding is that guillemots also raised fewer chicks in their old age if they experienced poor conditions early in life.