The grandmother hypothesis is a theory to explain the existence of menopause, rare in mammal species, in human life history and how a long post-fertile period (up to one third of a woman's lifespan) could confer an evolutionary advantage.
Holding longevity constant, a female that undergoes menopause should have a lower total fertility rate, making menopause intriguing from an evolutionary perspective.
See also: patriarch hypothesisRead more about Grandmother Hypothesis: Background, The Grandmother Effect, Evidence For, Evidence Against, Conclusion
Famous quotes containing the words grandmother and/or hypothesis:
“Time to plant tears, says the almanac.
The grandmother sings to the marvellous stove
and the child draws another inscrutable house.”
—Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979)
“The great tragedy of science—the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)