The Evolutionary Puzzle of Menopause in Killer Whales

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Explore the rarity of menopause in killer whales and delve into research on its evolutionary reasons. Discover how grandmothers play a crucial role in raising offspring and how menopause helps prevent reproductive competition within social groups. The chapter also discusses parallels between hormone changes in killer whales and humans, along with the potential repurposing of an anti-obesity drug for managing HIV-related comorbidities.

In this episode:

00:45 Making a map of the human heart

The human heart consists of multiple, specialised structures that all work together to enable the organ to beat for a lifetime. But exactly which cells are present in each part of the heart has been difficult to ascertain. Now, a team has combined molecular techniques to create an atlas of the developing human heart at an individual cell level. Their atlas provides insights into how cell communities communicate and form different structures. They hope that this knowledge will ultimately help in the treatment of congenital heart conditions, often caused by irregular development of the heart.

Research article: Farah et al.

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08:37 Research Highlights

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11:11 The evolution of menopause in toothed whales

Menopause is a rare phenomenon, only known to occur in a few mammalian species. Several of these species are toothed whales, such as killer whales, beluga whales and narwhals. But why menopause evolved multiple times in toothed whales has been a long-standing research question. To answer it, a team examined the life history of whales with and without menopause and how this affected the number of offspring and ‘grandoffpsring’. Their results suggest that menopause allows older females to help younger generations in their families and improve their chances of survival.

Research Article: Ellis et al.

News and Views: Whales make waves in the quest to discover why menopause evolved

18:03 Briefing Chat

How the new generation of anti-obesity drugs could help people with HIV, and the study linking microplastics lodged in a key blood vessel with serious health issues.

Nature News: Blockbuster obesity drug leads to better health in people with HIV

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