It is not obvious why selection should favor menopause or the continued survival of individuals that can no longer reproduce. The famous Grandmother Hypothesis had been used to explain the evolutionary significance of menopause. A new study conducted on the Ngogo chimpanzees community of wild chimpanzees in Uganda challenges this hypothesis. Science 27 Oct 2023 Vol 382, Issue 6669 DOI: 10.1126/science.add547

    • gregorum@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      They don’t live long enough to go through menopause. Ever met a female cat that lived into her 50s?

      We may soon discover that orcas also experience menopause as soon as some daring team of whale biologists carries out a similar study collecting orca pee.

      • jarfil@beehaw.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        1 year ago

        All placental mammals menstruate, most of them just reabsorb the endometrium internally instead of shedding it. Most mammal females are also not in heat all year round.