Survival data for: Phylogenetic reconstruction of ancestral aging rates in the primate lineage

Median lifespans of primates show nearly 10-fold variation, ranging from
∼8 years in marmosets to ∼80 years in humans. The molecular mechanisms
that govern this variation and how they evolved remain poorly understood.
In this study, we implemented a novel phylogenetic Gompertzian survival
framework to leverage the evolutionary history of primates in order to
estimate parameters of aging for 38 captive primate species. We find that
baseline hazards (at the time of sexual maturity) and adult aging rates
display significant variation, and aging rates are more evolutionarily
conserved than baseline hazards (Pagel lambda=0.96 vs lambda=0.34,
respectively). Furthermore, we find that aging rates and baseline hazards
do not show a pattern of phylogenetic covariation, suggesting that
differential evolutionary pressures may act on these traits. Aging rates
were strongly correlated with body weights, with a notable exception
within the Ape family, where aging rates remained approximately unchanged
despite large differences in body weight. Based on the reconstruction of
ancestral aging rates, we estimate that the ancestor of Apes was likely
aging at a similar rate to modern humans.