* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Hetzel Design: blending architecture and entertainment – Blooloop

    Hetzel Design: Where Architecture and Entertainment Unite in Perfect Harmony

    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Placer County town of Loomis considers entertainment zone for downtown – CBS News

    Loomis Unveils Thrilling New Entertainment Zone to Revitalize Downtown

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

  • 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
    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    ‘New frontier’: Austin leaders start discussions on air taxi technology – KXAN Austin

    Austin Leaders Ignite Exciting Conversations on the Future of Air Taxi Technology

    How a Gemma model helped discover a new potential cancer therapy pathway – blog.google

    How a Gemma Model Revealed a Breakthrough Pathway for Cancer Treatment

    Italian Technology in Manufacturing: Supporting North American Industries and Keeping Production Local – Thomasnet

    How Italian Technology is Revolutionizing North American Manufacturing and Boosting Local Production

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Hetzel Design: blending architecture and entertainment – Blooloop

    Hetzel Design: Where Architecture and Entertainment Unite in Perfect Harmony

    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Placer County town of Loomis considers entertainment zone for downtown – CBS News

    Loomis Unveils Thrilling New Entertainment Zone to Revitalize Downtown

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    CT Culture Corner: Robert Redford films to watch – CT Insider

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

    Elmira’s New Entertainment Venue ‘Centertown Social’ Adding its Final Touches – WENY News

  • 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
    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    ‘New frontier’: Austin leaders start discussions on air taxi technology – KXAN Austin

    Austin Leaders Ignite Exciting Conversations on the Future of Air Taxi Technology

    How a Gemma model helped discover a new potential cancer therapy pathway – blog.google

    How a Gemma Model Revealed a Breakthrough Pathway for Cancer Treatment

    Italian Technology in Manufacturing: Supporting North American Industries and Keeping Production Local – Thomasnet

    How Italian Technology is Revolutionizing North American Manufacturing and Boosting Local Production

    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

Humans are no longer the only primates that go through menopause

October 27, 2023
in Science
Humans are no longer the only primates that go through menopause
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

ByJason Bittel

Published October 26, 2023

• 5 min read

Nana, Abuela, Grandma, Grams—whatever you call them, humans are one of the very few species in which females live long past their reproductive years to become grandmothers.

In fact, the grandmother club is so small, you can count the other species known to experience and outlive menopause on one hand. They include orcas, short-finned pilot whales, narwhals, beluga whales, and false killer whales. (Related: “Menopause is very rare among animals. Here’s why orcas go through it.”)

But a new, landmark study confirms that at least one population of chimpanzees can now be added to the elite list.

The discovery comes as the result of 21 years’ worth of observing the Ngogo community of wild chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Well, that, and collecting a lot of chimp urine from the treetops.

“What we do is we break off a little sapling that has a nice ‘Y’ at the end of it. Then you put a very thin plastic bag over that,” says Kevin Langergraber, a primatologist at Arizona State University and senior author of the study published today in the journal Science.

“You just hope you don’t get too much splatter,” he laughs. 

While the circumstances may sound silly, studying urine from 66 Ngogo females, aged 14 to 67, showed that their hormone levels changed after approaching 50, confirming they were in menopause. Interestingly, 50 is also the age when many people begin to experience menopause.

Langengraber and other primate researchers had long wondered why humans experience menopause while none of our closest evolutionary cousins appear to.

“It’s really cool to finally have that piece of the puzzle come into place,” says Catherine Hobaiter, a primatologist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland who also studies chimpanzees, in Uganda’s Budungo Central Forest Reserve, but who was not part of the new study.

The right conditions for menopause

So why did menopause take so long to be discovered in chimps? The short answer is it’s extremely difficult to study the inner workings of large, wild animals without harming them. (Related: “Jane Goodall’s original tale of chimpanzees still astonishes today.”)

Studying chimpanzees present several other challenges, namely that they are extremely long-lived—especially in captivity. One female, known as Little Mama, was thought to have been in her late 70s when she died at a Florida safari park in 2017. This means that scientists simply don’t have two decades’ worth of data for many chimpanzee groups across central and west Africa.

But the length of the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project, which began in 1993, and the non-invasive technique of collecting urine gave the scientists confidence in their finding.

Specifically, the team found that elderly females undergo the same endocrinological changes as a woman in middle age; her estrogens and progestins levels fall, while levels of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones rise.

However, Langergraber cautions the Ngogo population may be an outlier when it comes to the rest of the species.

That’s because the Ngogo community lives in a chimp Eden of sorts: the resource-rich, well-protected Kibale National Park that also lacks leopards, their main predator. And because the Ngogo community is found in the heart of the park, its only neighbors are other chimps—not humans who can expose chimpanzees to pathogens that have devastated other communities.

The flip side could be true: That all chimpanzee populations once lived in the relative prosperity that the Ngogo chimps now enjoy, but people have put so much pressure on the animals they no regularly live long enough to undergo menopause.

Of course, the answer could also lie somewhere in the middle, says Langergraber.

Do chimpanzee grandmothers matter?

Another intriguing question is whether chimpanzee grandmothers have any extra evolutionary value.

After all, researchers have shown in humans that the presence of a living grandmother can pass down benefits to grandchildren through things like providing extra food and childcare (something that Ninny and Grandma Pickles do in my own family). Scientists have also observed evidence for this grandmother effect in Asian elephants and orcas. (Related: “Why do orca grandmothers live so long? It’s for their grandkids.”) 

The answer is unclear, particularly because chimpanzee societies are so different than those of humans, says study leader Brian Wood, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

For instance, both male and female chimpanzees mate promiscuously, rather than forming long-term pair-bonds. Mothers care solely for their offspring. And when they reach maturity, females leave in search of new communities, while males stay in the area they were born. All of which means grandmother chimpanzees likely don’t know who their grandchildren are in the same way humans, or even orcas, do.

“It doesn’t mean that all these older females aren’t doing things that are consequential,” says Wood. “But that’s all future work to be done.” 

In her study population in Budongo, Hobaiter has witnessed older females withdraw from the day-to-day competitions that are part of chimpanzee life. (Related: “Chimpanzee moms are like us: They mourn, dote, and take ‘me’ time.”)

But they still seem to command prestige and respect. One elder, named Nambi, has lived in Budongo for probably 60 years or more, and Hobaiter has witnessed times where she appears to lead and make decisions for the group.

“What she has seen in that forest, the different seasons she’s known, the different areas of the forest, the interactions with the neighbors, that’s this incredible legacy of her knowledge.” 

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/menopause-chimpanzees-uganda-grandmothers

Tags: Humanslongerscience
Previous Post

The best free language learning apps for building your vocabulary and conversational skills

Next Post

How to explore the secret subterranean side of Belgrade

Fusobacterium nucleatum : ecology, pathogenesis and clinical implications – Nature

Unveiling Fusobacterium nucleatum: Exploring Its Ecology, Disease Connections, and Health Impact

October 21, 2025
Escherichia coli with a 57-codon genetic code – Science | AAAS

Escherichia coli Engineered with a Revolutionary 57-Codon Genetic Code

October 21, 2025
LOCALIZE IT: Over 420 anti-science bills target public health protections in statehouses across US – newspressnow.com

More Than 420 Anti-Science Bills Jeopardize Public Health Across the Nation

October 21, 2025
Halloween not your thing? Here’s when Christmas at the Newport mansions will start. – The Providence Journal

Not a Halloween Fan? Find Out When Christmas Magic Begins at the Newport Mansions!

October 21, 2025
Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

October 21, 2025
UEFA becomes first sporting body to sign up to global anti-piracy coalition – The New York Times

UEFA Takes the Lead as First Sports Organization to Join Global Anti-Piracy Coalition

October 21, 2025
The lover’s guide to the 2025 World Series – The New York Times

Your Ultimate Lover’s Guide to the 2025 World Series

October 21, 2025
Rethinking Growth In A Broadening Economy – Seeking Alpha

Unlocking Success: New Insights for Thriving in a Booming Economy

October 21, 2025
Hetzel Design: blending architecture and entertainment – Blooloop

Hetzel Design: Where Architecture and Entertainment Unite in Perfect Harmony

October 21, 2025
Study suggests earlier start of hormone therapy optimizes long-term health outcomes – News-Medical

Starting Hormone Therapy Sooner May Boost Long-Term Health Benefits

October 21, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
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 (879)
  • Economy (900)
  • Entertainment (21,771)
  • General (17,724)
  • Health (9,941)
  • Lifestyle (913)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (901)
  • Politics (910)
  • Science (16,111)
  • Sports (21,400)
  • Technology (15,880)
  • World (883)

Recent News

Fusobacterium nucleatum : ecology, pathogenesis and clinical implications – Nature

Unveiling Fusobacterium nucleatum: Exploring Its Ecology, Disease Connections, and Health Impact

October 21, 2025
Escherichia coli with a 57-codon genetic code – Science | AAAS

Escherichia coli Engineered with a Revolutionary 57-Codon Genetic Code

October 21, 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