Hypergravity and ageing in Drosophila melanogaster. 2. Longevity.

Longevity of Drosophila melanogaster flies was observed at various gravity levels in three different breeding conditions of decreasing quality. A slight longevity decrease was observed in the 1-4 g range of the two best conditions. In the third one, a large decrease was observed in all hypergravity groups. Longevity decreased at 5 g in the first two groups (no data collected for the third one). Results are discussed in relation with Pearl's rate-of-living theory.