Sex and ageing

Sex and ageing are often linked, particularly in the context of the evoluti onary theories of ageing, which suggest that senescence may be the price fo r investing ire offspring at the expense of somatic maintenance and repair. Considerable evidence supports this concept although, strictly, it is not sex per se but the existence of the soma/germ-line distinction that appears to hold the key. Other aspects of the sex-ageing axis seeing exciting new developments are the evolution of the human life history, particularly with respect to menopause, and the molecular mechanisms that sustain the immort ality of the germ-line in contrast to the cumulative damage that appears to underlie the ageing of somatic cells. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All r ights reserved.