this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2024
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One is a requirement to be an organism. The other is a nice to have. A great many creatures simply die after reproducing, for example, which we can interpret to mean the minimum requirement has been met and anything beyond that isn't as important, if we like to view it that way.
Forming that small person is also a bit of a chaotic and messy process involving chance errors of various kinds and variations in the way parts grew. In a sense, the person formed would never be exactly the same if you tried again with the same inputs either.
That this system works as well as it does is a miracle.
EDIT: Missing words.
Octopi are these incredibly intelligent and exceptionally resilient, but they kick it inside 3-5 years, typically right after reproducing.
Sounds like they should have made their kids' survival dependent on their survival. That's the ticket, right there. Now we just need to make our great-grandkids' survival dependent on our survival, and we'll all be healthy right into the next century!
Boomers slowly doing that by making sure their offspring can't afford houses.
That describes perfectly the state of my bedroom after.
Something the OOP also forgets to take into account is that a LOT of pregnancies fail. Especially in the early stages, before the pregnant person even knows that they're having a miscarriage.
I feel like once you hit your 40s, you really start to understand that concept of your body only being evolved enough to ensure that you can reproduce and the next generation survives.
In your 40s and you hurt your knee? Fuck you, your knee now hurts for the rest of your life - why aren't you dead already?
I'm 40 and and haven't reproduced. Get your shit together body.
This makes me wonder; why then would women typically have longer life-spans then men? Once women hit menopause they are biologically useless for propogating the species whereas men retain the ability impregnate women for their whole lives.
I saw something that mentioned having 2 X chromosomes is beneficial. Something about redundant copies of DNA which helps prevent some problems. I dunno, I'm not a scientist.
I think, that having purpose in life helps, and women tend to prioritize social connection from a very young age, therefore they are on average more connected and that helps in finding purpose. The rest is pure force of will to fulfill the purpose
I feel like this is closer to the reason why suicide is the #2 cause of death for men from like 19-49. After that diseases start to overtake it a bit. Car accident is #1, in case you were curious.
There is more to evolutionary fitness than reproduction, though that is chief among the desired traits. The gathering / providing of supplies and wellbeing of the home are also up there.
Not to mention, wrt reproduction we need all the women we can get. We need only a few men. One male of a species can keep an arkload of women pregnant at a time.
Can ask the same about men. Orcas have menopause. Female orcas live somewhere between 60 and 90 years. Male orcas only 30. Also... post menopausal orcas pimp out their sons. Imagine your mom as your wingman.
We live so long because we rely on experience. Menopause (and andropause) are just ways to make sure the parents don't compete with their offspring, but stick around long enough to help.
Death and aging is needed to make animals stop reproducing. This is because the only way we can adapt to changing enviroments, is through having offspring with a mutation that is hopefully useful. Lots of algae, fungi, bacteria don't have this issue. They can just transfer genes they developed/found to anither member of its species like it's christmas. No need to die if you can just adapt your own genetics.
Menopause (and andropause to a lesser extent) is our copout and allows us to live longer.
We're social creature and older generations can help rear children.
Grandparents are valuable, and women tend to be smaller and require fewer resources to provide wisdom and babysitting.
Source: the top of my head.
Meanwhile, kids take hits all the time that would kill me instantly.
Pretty sure the artist here is littleporpoise.
I love the "beer in hand" stereotype there.
When my son was a toddler, he went down a slide feet first but on his stomach. I had a complete brain fart and forgot to catch him at the bottom of the slide like I had always done in the past. He few about 3 feet, then landed on the ground on his stomach, his head whipped back and then slammed face first into the ground.
I remember thinking at the time, Jesus Christ, I would be DEAD if that happened to me. But yeah, he cried a little bit and walked it off.
So if I don't have kids I can be immortal. I can be the midlander. THERE CAN BE MORE THAN ONE!
They got a tridge there too:
wait midland is a real place!
Yeah and they are looking for an authoritative ruler, you should apply!
You die and whatever factors that lead you to not reproduce will become less common in the future.
That's the theory anyway!
Woohoo. Income inequality and pollution will become less common.
Free will and vasectomies will become less common!
explosive public shitstorms will become less common!
Nature is messy and incredible.