* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Drake Appears in Teaser for Bobbi Althoff’s New Podcast ‘Not This Again’ – yahoo.com

    Drake Drops a Surprise Cameo in Bobbi Althoff’s Thrilling New Podcast Teaser ‘Not This Again

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    How to watch ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrill: How to Stream ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    What Are Our Predictions for Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Based on What She’s Told Us So Far? – yahoo.com

    Uncover the Hidden Surprises in Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ – Can You Decode Her Clues?

    Bama Dining Serving Up New Food, Entertainment – UA News Center

    Bama Dining Launches Thrilling New Food and Entertainment Experiences

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    UNLV Responds to Workforce Need with Microcredential in Nuclear Technology – University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

    UNLV Unveils Cutting-Edge Microcredential Program to Fuel Growth in Nuclear Technology

    Why Technology Will Never Take Over Completely – Patheos

    Why Technology Will Never Completely Control Our Lives

    Alcorn State awarded grant to boost STEM with VR technology – WJTV

    Alcorn State Secures Grant to Transform STEM Education Through Cutting-Edge VR Technology

    Hyundai: The Only Way To Beat China Is To Embrace Technology – InsideEVs

    Hyundai’s Bold Strategy to Outpace China with Cutting-Edge Technology

    Teaching older adults how to use technology – WWNY

    Empowering Older Adults to Master Technology with Confidence

    Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology – CBS News

    Denver Man’s Life Transformed by Revolutionary Pacemaker Technology

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Drake Appears in Teaser for Bobbi Althoff’s New Podcast ‘Not This Again’ – yahoo.com

    Drake Drops a Surprise Cameo in Bobbi Althoff’s Thrilling New Podcast Teaser ‘Not This Again

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    How to watch ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrill: How to Stream ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    What Are Our Predictions for Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Based on What She’s Told Us So Far? – yahoo.com

    Uncover the Hidden Surprises in Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ – Can You Decode Her Clues?

    Bama Dining Serving Up New Food, Entertainment – UA News Center

    Bama Dining Launches Thrilling New Food and Entertainment Experiences

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    UNLV Responds to Workforce Need with Microcredential in Nuclear Technology – University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

    UNLV Unveils Cutting-Edge Microcredential Program to Fuel Growth in Nuclear Technology

    Why Technology Will Never Take Over Completely – Patheos

    Why Technology Will Never Completely Control Our Lives

    Alcorn State awarded grant to boost STEM with VR technology – WJTV

    Alcorn State Secures Grant to Transform STEM Education Through Cutting-Edge VR Technology

    Hyundai: The Only Way To Beat China Is To Embrace Technology – InsideEVs

    Hyundai’s Bold Strategy to Outpace China with Cutting-Edge Technology

    Teaching older adults how to use technology – WWNY

    Empowering Older Adults to Master Technology with Confidence

    Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology – CBS News

    Denver Man’s Life Transformed by Revolutionary Pacemaker Technology

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Grandma chimps offer clues for evolution of menopause in humans

October 29, 2023
in Science
Grandma chimps offer clues for evolution of menopause in humans
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A Chimpanzee rests at Malaysia's national zoo in Kuala Lumpur

A Chimpanzee rests at Malaysia’s national zoo in Kuala Lumpur.

Humans and some whales are the only known species in which females live long after they stop being able to reproduce.

A new paper in the journal Science on Thursday argues that chimpanzees should now be added to the list, and offers clues about the evolutionary imperatives behind menopause in women.

“Chimpanzees have been studied in the wild for a long time, and you might think there’s nothing left to learn about them,” senior author Kevin Langergraber of Arizona State University told AFP. “I think this research shows us that’s not true.”

The vast majority of mammal females produce offspring until the end of their lives, but humans experience a decline in reproductive hormones and the permanent cessation of ovary function around age 50.

Females of five species of toothed whale, including orcas and narwhals, similarly survive well beyond fertile age.

It isn’t obvious why natural selection would favor this trait, and only among a handful of species.

Some scientists have put forward the “grandmother hypothesis” as a possible explanation: the idea that older females enter a post-reproductive state to consume fewer resources and focus on improving their grandchildren’s odds of survival.

Demographics and hormones

In the new paper, researchers examined the mortality and fertility rates of 185 female chimpanzees in the Ngogo community of wild chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda, between 1995 and 2016.

Specifically, the team calculated a metric called the post-reproductive representation (PrR), which is the average proportion of the adult life span that is spent in a post-reproductive state.

Past attempts that used demographic data to study whether chimps underwent menopause were hampered by haphazard statistical methods, lead author Brian Wood of the University of California, Los Angeles, told AFP, with PrR proving a more robust measure.

It showed Ngogo chimpanzee females—but not other chimpanzees from other populations—lived on average 20 percent of their adult years in a post-reproductive state, just a little under what has been observed in humans.

To exclude the possibility that, say, an STD swept through the community causing mass sterility among older females in the past, the team paired the demographic data with hormonal status.

They took urine samples of 66 females ranging in age and reproductive status, and measured the levels of gonadotropins, estrogens, and progestins, finding the hormonal patterns closely mirrored what was seen in human females experiencing menopausal transition.

Chimps aren’t good grandmas

Still, the case for menopause in chimps isn’t quite closed, say the authors, offering two possible interpretations.

Wild animals have been found to have substantial post-reproductive life spans in captivity where they are protected from predators and disease, and it’s possible the Ngogo chimps similarly experienced unusually favorable conditions, such as an absence of leopards that were hunted to extinction in the area.

Alternatively, the remote Ngogo chimps might be more typical of historic populations that were untouched by human activities such as hunting and logging.

If that’s so, said Wood, then scientists need to update their evolutionary theories of menopause.

In chimpanzee society, daughters leave the community in which they are born, while the males who remain mate promiscuously.

That means males don’t know who their offspring are, and by extension, grandmothers don’t know which grandoffspring are theirs—so the “grandmother hypothesis” won’t apply.

Instead, Wood said that menopause might have evolved to reduce competition for limited breeding opportunities between aging females and their daughters.

When a female chimp first enters a new group, she starts out with a low level of relatedness to other members, though this increases over time as she breeds.

Since her genes are by then widespread, she has less to gain in breeding conflict against a younger female.

Dan Franks of the University of York who has studied postmenopausal killer whales, described the study as “fascinating”.

“This research presents the first instance of menopause occurring in non-human primates in the wild,” he said, adding that the second interpretation offered by the authors was “tantalizing” in terms of its evolutionary implications.

The authors hope to study the question further among bonobos, who along with chimpanzees are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

More information:
Brian M. Wood et al, Demographic and hormonal evidence for menopause in wild chimpanzees, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.add5473. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add5473

Michael Cant et al, Menopause in chimpanzees, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adk7119. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk7119

© 2023 AFP

Citation:
Grandma chimps offer clues for evolution of menopause in humans (2023, October 29)
retrieved 29 October 2023
from https://phys.org/news/2023-10-grandma-chimps-clues-evolution-menopause.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Phys.org – https://phys.org/news/2023-10-grandma-chimps-clues-evolution-menopause.html

Tags: chimpsGrandmascience
Previous Post

What is a COP?

Next Post

Urban warfare in Gaza: Will it be different this time?

Third annual event highlights cultural, ecological importance of Tawas Lake – Iosco County News Herald

Explore the Vibrant Culture and Stunning Ecology of Tawas Lake at This Year’s Exciting Third Annual Event!

August 24, 2025
UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

August 24, 2025
Center to advance hunting and conservation looks to tradition, science – NBC Montana

Center Pioneers New Era in Hunting and Conservation by Merging Tradition with Science

August 24, 2025
‘Hidden gem’ – the lifestyle village beating the property slump – Stuff

‘Hidden gem’ – the lifestyle village beating the property slump – Stuff

August 24, 2025
UNLV Responds to Workforce Need with Microcredential in Nuclear Technology – University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

UNLV Unveils Cutting-Edge Microcredential Program to Fuel Growth in Nuclear Technology

August 24, 2025
Women’s football moves mountains in Pakistan – EL PAÍS English

Women’s football moves mountains in Pakistan – EL PAÍS English

August 24, 2025
Lifeguard, 82, Sets Impressive Guinness World Record After More Than 60 Years Lifeguarding – People.com

82-Year-Old Lifeguard Breaks Guinness World Record After Over 60 Years on Duty

August 24, 2025
Powell’s Rate Cut Signal Reflects Economy’s Delicate Position – Hindustan Times

Powell’s Rate Cut Signal Reflects Economy’s Delicate Position – Hindustan Times

August 24, 2025
Drake Appears in Teaser for Bobbi Althoff’s New Podcast ‘Not This Again’ – yahoo.com

Drake Drops a Surprise Cameo in Bobbi Althoff’s Thrilling New Podcast Teaser ‘Not This Again

August 24, 2025
Hamilton County school board rejects mental health center contract – Chattanooga Times Free Press

Hamilton County School Board Rejects Contract for New Mental Health Center

August 24, 2025

Categories

Archives

August 2025
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (787)
  • Economy (807)
  • Entertainment (21,686)
  • General (16,641)
  • Health (9,847)
  • Lifestyle (820)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (809)
  • Politics (816)
  • Science (16,019)
  • Sports (21,306)
  • Technology (15,788)
  • World (788)

Recent News

Third annual event highlights cultural, ecological importance of Tawas Lake – Iosco County News Herald

Explore the Vibrant Culture and Stunning Ecology of Tawas Lake at This Year’s Exciting Third Annual Event!

August 24, 2025
UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

August 24, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version