page_title: Rate-of-living theory
hierarchical_section_title: Rate-of-living theory
caption_attribution_description: English: As metabolic rate increases the lifespan of an organism is expected to decrease as well. The rate at which this occurs is not fixed and thus the -45° slope in this graph is just an example and not a constant.
context_page_description: The rate of living theory postulates that the faster an organism’s metabolism, the shorter its lifespan. The theory was originally created by Max Rubner in 1908 after his observation that larger animals outlived smaller ones, and that the larger animals had slower metabolisms. After its inception by Rubner, it was further expanded upon through the work of Raymond Pearl. Outlined in his book, The Rate of Living published in 1928, Pearl conducted a series of experiments in drosophila and cantaloupe seeds that corroborated Rubner’s initial observation that a slowing of metabolism increased lifespan.
  Further strength was given to these observations by the discovery of Max Kleiber’s law in 1932. Colloquially called the “mouse-to-elephant” curve, Kleiber’s conclusion was that basal metabolic rate could accurately be predicted by taking 3/4 the power of body weight. This conclusion was especially noteworthy because the inversion of its scaling exponent, between 0.2 and 0.33, was the scaling for lifespan and metabolic rate.
context_section_description: The rate of living theory postulates that the faster an organism’s metabolism, the shorter its lifespan. The theory was originally created by Max Rubner in 1908 after his observation that larger animals outlived smaller ones, and that the larger animals had slower metabolisms. After its inception by Rubner, it was further expanded upon through the work of Raymond Pearl. Outlined in his book, The Rate of Living published in 1928, Pearl conducted a series of experiments in drosophila and cantaloupe seeds that corroborated Rubner’s initial observation that a slowing of metabolism increased lifespan.
  Further strength was given to these observations by the discovery of Max Kleiber’s law in 1932. Colloquially called the “mouse-to-elephant” curve, Kleiber’s conclusion was that basal metabolic rate could accurately be predicted by taking 3/4 the power of body weight. This conclusion was especially noteworthy because the inversion of its scaling exponent, between 0.2 and 0.33, was the scaling for lifespan and metabolic rate.
caption: As metabolic rate increases the lifespan of an organism is expected to decrease as well. The rate at which this occurs is not fixed and thus the -45° slope in this graph is just an example and not a constant.
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