Totally agree. I read the abstract and scanned the rest of it, and it seems to me the paper is asking “why” in the context of “There are a number of reasons this could happen but which one(s) specifically is it?”, as opposed to “There is no reason for women to live post-menopause so why do they?”, which is the tone I…

Yeah, I think it’s a super interesting question. It’s asking why our biology has developed the way it has, not calling on us to live our lives according to the dictates of evolution.

But it has been LONG accepted in genetic science that we do, in fact, die off in order to not tax the resources of our gene pool. Thus, living past your usefulness DOES hurt genetic fitness. That’s why a study like this would be done.

Having looked into this in the past, I was under the impression that such questions about menopause tend to ask why women lose their reproductive ability halfway or 3/4 way through life, whereas men don’t. So the question has traditionally been “why does menopause happen?” and not “why don’t women die sooner?” It is…

Naw, the article is hopelessly stupid and pushing an agenda.

so because it doesn’t fit in within your personal, unrelated views the science isn’t worth questioning?

Well, there’s an evolutionary argument for homosexuals, which is basically “hey, maybe it’s good for a population to not have every adult reproduce.” Basically, maybe having gay people who aren’t reproducing but taking on other roles in the tribe helps the entire tribe survive. Menopausal women could serve a similar…

It’s a valid biological question, because menopause appears to be the exception rather than the rule in the animal kingdom. Female dogs, for example, remain fertile throughout their lives (albeit with a reduction in reproductive fitness, as with most mammals). The same thing is true for the females of most mammalian…

Jezebel doesn’t do science well. That’s been long established.

My point still stands, though: this piece is ridiculous.

Absolutely. I don't see why it was necessary to tag cultural issue onto what is a simple scientific question. Our biology doesn't give any thought to our beliefs or cultural norms.

Yeah, but evolution is fueled by random mutation. As long as living past menopause doesn’t significantly hurt genetic fitness, there doesn’t have to be an actual benefit.

Yeah, I don’t get the snark. Science is about asking and answering such questions.