On the social benefits of old men chasing younger women

[archerships]



It turns out that older men chasing younger women contributes to human longevity and the survival of the species, according to new findings by researchers at Stanford and the University of California-Santa Barbara.

Evolutionary theory says that individuals should die of old age when their reproductive lives are complete, generally by age 55 in humans, according to demographer Cedric Puleston, a doctoral candidate in biological sciences at Stanford. But the fatherhood of a small number of older men is enough to postpone the date with death because natural selection fights life-shortening mutations until the species is finished reproducing.

via scienceblog.com

Posted via web from crasch's posterous

Comments

[snarkyshark2.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't older men chasing older child-bearing women be even better? Or, wouldn't bears chasing men chasing women be better?

[istar.livejournal.com]

And so it came to pass that the old man chased the younger woman, but when he finally caught her, he discovered that she was infertile. Eventually, they both died, and that was the end of the human race. Better luck next time, evolution!

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Yes, but if you misjudge her fertility, the consequences are dire. From the gene's perspective, they don't "care" about increasing our lifespan, only reproduction. Increased lifespans are simply a happy accident.

Chasing bears would eventually result in a population that was very good at escaping bears. (Assuming they didn't all end up in bear Bento boxes).

[snarkyshark2.livejournal.com]

So, you mean they should be monogamous? I think the old men should chase multiple old women, but then the bears would feel a little left out.

[pasquin.livejournal.com]

You can put up Darwin's curtains over my boudoir, but in the end I just like young'uns.