September 21, 2012
Grand mother strategy cuts across species
as a way to further the tribe. "Males become more fecund as they get older, so in Darwinian terms, it pays to have long-lived sons." Since the mom is probably a working dolphin... wait, what were we talking about? Right, pan-species strategies. Looks like it works beyond our own. And that's why women don't keep bearing young for long: they must concentrate on the next generation of theirs...
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Sadly, in the future this GranMa strategy might not work after GMO food reduces even our last chance for future generations.
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Egg donor programs may pretty much erase the need to hang around and become a Grandma in order to insure the future of the line of descent.
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X Qz MEEE?
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Hmmm. New data from Stanford shows that mammalian mothers choose to speed along either xx or yx sperms based on their hopes for grandchildren. The more troubled moms choose the safer bet, which is more female helpers; the more secure ones choose to risk having wayward sons and hope to win the jackpot. The mechanism is not fully understood...