[blam]

The original article:

Why Men Matter: Mating Patterns Drive Evolution of Human Lifespan

[Verginius Rufus]

Some fraction of men continue to father children into their 60s and 70s with younger women.

The fraction of men who father children with younger women when they themselves are in their 60s and 70s is 100%.

[Candor7]

Then why do we have social taboos about older men marrying younger women?

Must be a femino-nazi thing ;)

[labette]

Thinking back upon the old B.C. comic strip and “hunter gatherer” cultures....Which female would likely get the best food, the freshest produce, the finest cuts of meat? The “Cute Chick” or the old “Fat Broad”? {Assuming us males were doing the hunting / gathering}

Surely Dr Tuljapurkar has considered this.

[Mobile Vulgus]

Now I have scientific proof to tell my wife I need a few young chicks around! HA!

[Nick Danger]

At first I didn't understand what these guys were talking about. So I clicked on the "press only" pdf file where it was finally revealed:

See, now that clears it right up. These guys are obviously right.

[unixfox]

In matters of sex and death, men are an essential part of the equation

Who woulda thunk it?

[etlib]

Our understanding of the evolution of lifespan suggests that we have no defense against mutations that occur after we reach the end of our reproductive lives. As a result we expect a rapid increase in mortality -- a “wall of death” -- just after female menopause.

True for species which require no parental care of offspring and whose behavior is mostly instinctive.

However, humans require a long period of learned behavior during which care by the parents is critical. Because even the act of raising children is learned behavior, having the grandparents available during the child raising is also important. That means that a life span of as much as 40 years beyond child bearing can be expected.

Leave it to University Professors to fail to understand the most elementary facts.

[woofie]

Sex, Cigars, Death