Lifelong behavioral screen reveals an architecture of vertebrate aging
Summary
Mapping behavior of individual vertebrate animals across lifespan could provide an unprecedented view into the lifelong process of aging. We created a platform for high-resolution continuous behavioral tracking of the African killifish across natural lifespan from adolescence to death. We found that animals follow distinct individual aging trajectories. The behaviors of long-lived animals differed markedly from those of short-lived animals, even relatively early in life, and were linked to
Content
# Lifelong behavioral screen reveals an architecture of vertebrate aging
*Published: 2026 Mar 12*
Mapping behavior of individual vertebrate animals across lifespan could provide
an unprecedented view into the lifelong process of aging. We created a platform
for high-resolution continuous behavioral tracking of the African killifish
across natural lifespan from adolescence to death. We found that animals follow
distinct individual aging trajectories. The behaviors of long-lived animals
differed markedly from those of short-lived animals, even relatively early in
life, and were linked to organ-specific transcriptomic shifts. Machine-learning
models accurately inferred age and even forecasted an individual's future
lifespan, given only behavior at a young age. Finally, we found that animals
progressed through adulthood in a sequence of stable and stereotyped behavioral
stages with abrupt transitions, revealing precise structure for an architecture
of aging.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aea9795