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Every living being that inhabits our planet - from the most complex to the simplest - has a certain life cycle. This cycle defines the duration of life, and the only certainty we have is that eventually all that is alive will eventually die. However, according to npr, science has been able to discover a pattern that allows us to know how long living things will survive.

According to the publication, it all comes down to mathematics, and scientists have observed the same pattern that is repeated with extraordinary frequency in all living organisms. What's more, this phenomenon is closely related to the size of creatures. In other words, little beings die sooner than the big ones, so a fly will die sooner than a panther, and a panther will die sooner than a sequoia. Sounds obvious, doesn't it?

Thus, according to the article, there is a simple mathematical formula that, with a very small degree of variation, allows you to determine with frightening precision how long an organism - any organism of any taxonomy, from insects to humans, through economies and even even whole societies - will survive!

Formula of life

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This account works like this: Consider the mass of any living organism - a tree or an animal, for example. Its metabolic rate will be equivalent to the mass led to a power law - a special kind of mathematical relationship between two quantities - of three quarters. This means that the law of power has one exponent, and that exponent will always be multiple of a quarter. In the end, it all comes down to size (or mass) and this multiple.

All living things are governed by a mathematical system that determines the length of life on all scales, and their size is the key to predicting their life expectancy. The formula applies not only to living creatures, but also to the cells that make up these creatures, serving to set a limit on life even if they are of different sizes. It's all a matter of scale.

How bigger...

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So, for example, an animal's heart beats about 1.5 billion times during its life cycle. A hummingbird's heart beats much faster than an elephant's. Therefore, after this organ hits the number of times it must hit, it will stop. Unfortunately, this will occur much earlier for the hummingbird than for the elephant.

However, it is worth remembering that, despite being an extremely precise system, the mathematical formula determines the life expectancy of beings in general. Thus, it can reveal how old dogs can live, but not necessarily how old your pet dog may be. When we evaluate specific individuals, there are other variables - such as environmental influences, lifestyle, luck, etc. - which should be considered as well.