Evolution: Why Females Live Longer
'Evolution: Why females live longer,' DW, March 27, 2020.
On average, women live longer than men. According to a new study, this also applies to the animal kingdom. Is that because males across all species tend to have stupid ideas more often?
On average, women live six to eight years longer than men. At least if they are treated well. But we have known that for quite some time.
What we didn't know until now is that the same is true for many wild animals. This is the conclusion reached by an international team of researchers, including Biologists from the University of Bath, who investigated the lifespans of 101 different animal species. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In the animal kingdom, the difference in life expectancy among males and females is even greater than in humans. For 60% of the animal species studied, females live on average 18% longer than their male conspecifics. The difference between men and women is nearly 8%.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is because women have a biological advantage over men when it comes to health and thus life expectancy.
- Female lions live together in a pack and care for each other.
- X-chromosome, estrogen and premature death:
Women have two X chromosomes, while men have only one (they have a Y chromosome instead).
On the X chromosomes some immune-relevant genes are encoded. Among them are genes that recognise certain pathogens and can thus set the corresponding immune response in motion. The hormone estrogen, which women naturally have more of than men, also has a protective function.
Scientists suspect that biology holds its protective hand in a very similar way over the female animal world.
No risk, no fun, he said
These biological advantages might seem like blatant injustice, but they are not the only reason why women live longer. According to the WHO, this is also due to the fact that women tend to be less willing to take risks.
In other words, women generally smoke and drink less and come up with stupid ideas less often. As I said — less often.
Read more: Psychology: A happy partner is the elixir of longer life
Although the shorter lifespan of male animals cannot be explained by excessive tobacco and alcohol consumption, scientists suspect sex-specific behavior as one of the reasons.
The researchers found that female lions live at least twice as long as males...
More, https://www.dw.com/en/evolution-why-females-live-longer/a-52940412
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