Scienceblogtwo

According to a long-standing canon in evolutionary biology, natural selection is ruthlessly self-serving, favoring traits that improve the possibility of fertile reproduction. This frequently suggests that the so-called "force" of selection is capable of removing dangerous mutations that arise throughout childhood and the reproductive years. However, it is believed that by the time fertility starts to diminish, selection stops caring about our physical health. After menopause, our cells are more vulnerable to harmful mutations. This frequently indicates that mortality commonly follows the cessation of fertility in the vast majority of animals. This puts humans (as well as several whale species) in an exclusive club: beings that continue to exist long after the end of their reproductive lives. How can we tolerate decades of living in the shadow of selection? According to Michael Gurven, an anthropology professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, "extended pos...