Buck Levin Dissertation

My 196-page dissertation (which includes over 250 research citations in its last 23 pages) is primarily useful not for its statistical methodology or statistical findings but for its comprehensive and innovative literature review on the concept of aging. The work of Harvard paleontologist Stephen J. Gould on heterochrony; of University of Arizona anthropologist William Stini on maladaptiveness of accelerated maturation; and of physiologist Edward Masoro at the University of Texas on caloric restriction and “undernutrition with malnutrition” are highlights of this research review. Also covered in detail are the concepts of entropy and neoteny, as well as diverse theories regarding infant feeding, dietary intake during childhood, and age of menarche. This literature review, despite being somewhat dated, should be worthwhile reading for persons interested in aging as a concept and multi-disciplinary approaches to aging.