One of the deepest questions I know: why don't species designs rot, and require eventual replacement from scratch, remotely as much as do individual organisms, or as do human-made software systems and complex product designs?
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Not really an answer but I recently read an interesting argument for why individual organisms senesce: 1. Even w/o senescence, organisms have a finite expected lifespan from predation, disease, famine, etc.
2. There’s little selection pressure to stay healthy/whole long past expected lifespan. 3. In contrast, there is selection pressure to “live fast/die young,” and trade off the future for present reproductive success.
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Interesting that this argument doesn’t apply to species. I guess maybe it applies to human-engineered systems, kinda?
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There are organisms with negligible senescence (sturgeon, tortoises, gators etc.), and they invariably seem to be "old" designs. This suggests that senescence might be an adaptation for not outcompeting your grandchildren. Most large animals depend on an inelastic food supply.
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