"I couldn't possibly fail to disagree with you less."
15 September 2007Getting groped by geezersNot something you'd look forward to, perhaps, but apparently it's for the good of the species:
It turns out that older men chasing younger women contributes to human longevity and the survival of the species, according to new findings by researchers at Stanford and the University of California-Santa Barbara.
Evolutionary theory says that individuals should die of old age when their reproductive lives are complete, generally by age 55 in humans, according to demographer Cedric Puleston, a doctoral candidate in biological sciences at Stanford. But the fatherhood of a small number of older men is enough to postpone the date with death because natural selection fights life-shortening mutations until the species is finished reproducing. Unless the date with death is speeded up because the old fart, trying to keep up with the young lady's activity level, finds himself in the middle of a myocardial infarction. Still, if he survives:
In the paper, the researchers analyzed "a general two-sex model to show that selection favors survival for as long as men reproduce." The scientists presented a "range of data showing that males much older than 50 years have substantial realized fertility through matings with younger females, a pattern that was likely typical among early humans." As a result, Puleston said, older male fertility helps to select against damaging cell mutations in humans who have passed the age of female menopause, consequently eliminating the "wall of death."
A word to the wise young woman should be sufficient: if he starts quoting Darwinian theory on the first date, run like hell. Posted at 10:22 AM to Table for OneTrackBack: 7:35 AM, 17 September 2007 » Fred Thompson Vaults Wall of Death, Fights Mutants from Musings from Brian J. Noggle It's kinda dry reading, but this summary of a study indicates that older men who procreate are serving the interests of the human race, not themselves: Evolutionary theory says that individuals should die of old age when their reproductive lives are co......[read more] A word to the wise young woman should be sufficient: if he starts quoting Darwinian theory on the first date, run like hell. Young women these days are liable to think "Darwinian" would be a cute name for a little girl. Posted by: McGehee at 3:40 PM on 15 September 2007So being a dirty old man is a good thing for the species. Eighteen year olds, here I come! (erm, really, not so much) Posted by: Jeffro at 8:16 PM on 15 September 2007The term "dirty old man" sounds so, um, dirty. I prefer "pornogenarian." Posted by: CGHill at 8:24 PM on 15 September 2007And apparently Uganda takes a dim view of this sort of thing. Posted by: CGHill at 11:05 AM on 16 September 2007I used to watch pornography, 'till my pornograph broke. Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm here all week. Try the veal. Posted by: Mister Snitch! at 8:08 AM on 17 September 2007 |