Except that it isn’t a religious thing. Human’s are something of an evolutionary anomaly in the sense that the only other animals on earth who go through menopause are a few species of whales. There’s a whole evolutionary theory tied to it called [the grandmother hypothesis] (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandmother_hypothesis). Or you can watch this PBS video about it if you don’t feel like reading. It’s pretty interesting really.
Comment on Evolution: 🖕
ssfckdt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 hours agodarwinian selection has nothing to do with aging. that’s religious right / 1920s robber baron bullshit.
kieron115@startrek.website 20 hours ago
nymnympseudonym@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
Actually having elders in human societies is shown to positively correlate with better outcomes for the youth in that society. Grandmothers in particular have a measurable benefit.
elifesciences.org/articles/92914
www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93652-4
kieron115@startrek.website 20 hours ago
Yeah. The idea is that, since our offspring take SO long to mature and take so many resources relative to other animals, that it makes more sense at some point for mothers to devote their resources to existing children rather than focus on trying to have more.
Lemminary@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Ohh, add this recent episode of Radiolab to the list.
radiolab.org/podcast/the-menopause-mystery