In article , undergroundbob
writes

What about 'define senescence'?? That had us all squeaking up here
(those sitting in Edinburgh). I've looked it up and I'm still no
wiser.



Did you see this bit?

"This is a term that many biogerontologists have used for a very long
time, and informally what they mean by it is the progressive loss of
physical robustness that happens with time. But because of the linkage
between aging and death, they have also been able to give "senescence" a
formal, mathematical definition -- the progressive increase in an
organism's likelihood to die soon. "



I would have said that meant a 'life span' of something such as long
lived trees or short lived perennials. No?

janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk