https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220707141755.htm

Which puts humans (and some species of whale) in a unique club: animals that continue to live long after their reproductive lives end. How is it that we can live decades in selection's shadow?

"From the perspective of natural selection, long post-menopausal life is a puzzle," said UC Santa Barbara anthropology professor Michael Gurven. In most animals, including chimpanzees -- our closest primate brethren -- this link between fertility and longevity is very pronounced, where survival drops in sync with the ability to reproduce. Meanwhile in humans, women can live for decades after their ability to have children ends. "We don't just gain a few extra years -- we have a true post-reproductive life stage," Gurven said.