February 28th, 2005
On The Grandmother Hypothesis
A long article from RedNova explains the Grandmother Hypothesis as it relates to the evolution of human life span and reproductive capabilities. Finding an explanation for the comparatively long human life span is one part of wider longevity research - we live longer than other mammals of the same size, but we do know know why this is the case. "There is little question that positive selection has acted on genes that increase lifespan. [However] there is still considerable debate as to whether or not prolonged lifespan has been selected to ensure the survival of offspring (Mother Hypotheses) or to increase the reproductive success of those offspring (Grandmother Hypotheses)."