The article complains about a lot of questionable design aspects of the human body, including menopause. Only us and a couple of whales (and apparently one specific chimp population I wasn't aware of?) go through menopause, making us infertile long before we die. Why is that? Wasn't more kids supposed to be better?
I recently learned about this (not sure if it was a YouTube video or an article): apparently, it's not that we become infertile long before we die, it's that we live long past our fertility ends. And the reason for that is really simple: old people have accumulated a lot of knowledge that is valuable to teach to younger generations. The alternative is not to be fertile longer, but to die younger.
Presumably, menopause only occurs in species that learn and teach, and are able to accumulate so much knowledge that it becomes useful to keep experienced individuals alive longer so they can continue to teach.
mcv · · focus · HN ↗
I recently learned about this (not sure if it was a YouTube video or an article): apparently, it's not that we become infertile long before we die, it's that we live long past our fertility ends. And the reason for that is really simple: old people have accumulated a lot of knowledge that is valuable to teach to younger generations. The alternative is not to be fertile longer, but to die younger.
Presumably, menopause only occurs in species that learn and teach, and are able to accumulate so much knowledge that it becomes useful to keep experienced individuals alive longer so they can continue to teach.
dustfinger · · focus · HN ↗
spopejoy · · focus · HN ↗