Carl Zimmer: Aside from humans, there are only five species known to regularly go through menopause--all of them whales. A new study suggests many of the same evolutionary factors have produced it in every case. 🧪 [Gift link] www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/s...

Aside from humans, there are only five species known to regularly go through menopause--all of them whales. A new study suggests many of the same evolutionary factors have produced it in every case. 🧪 [Gift link] www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/s...

And chimpanzees: news.arizona.edu/story/resear...

Researchers find first proof of menopause in wild chimpanzeesnews.arizona.edu University of Arizona primatologist Jacob Negrey co-authored a study of the Ngogo community in Uganda that shows humans aren't the only primates with a long post-fertile life stage.

Fascinating! I did not expect to find whales and menopause interesting, but I learned a ton! I am now going to regularly grapple with whether there’s potentially evolutionary benefits to menopause. Thank you!!

Post