Battling Grannies

By Chuck Milam - 
Chuck Milam (cdmilam@hotmail.com) has sent you an article from The Economist 
online


Article link

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The role of grandmothers

Battling grannies
Animals explain why grandmothers evolved

Jul 13th 2010

IN THE narrowest evolutionary sense, reproduction is the sole measure of 
success. Menopause, then, poses a bit of a riddle: in a handful of species, 
including humans, females cease breeding decades before they die. This is 
puzzling because it limits the number of offspring they can produce. However, 
two recent studies suggest that, in very different ways, the explanation lies 
in the extraordinary value of having a grandmother.

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http://www.economist.com/realarticleid.cfm?redirect_id=16588687

Visit http://www.economist.com for more global news, views, and analysis from 
The Economist.

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