14.6 Review Questions

Below are a few questions to help you review the concepts in this chapter.

1. What are the main hypotheses behind the evolution of a post-reproductive life in humans?
2. How do grandmothers improve the survival outcomes of their grandchildren?
3. What did Frank Marlowe propose as an alternative to The Grandmother Hypothesis? Why?
4. What is senescence? How does it differ from aging?
5. What is the importance of telomere shortening in senescence?
6. What is homeostasis?
7. What is the role of chronic stress in immune (mal)functioning?
8. How can human behavior impact the prognosis of cancer?
9. What is the role of genetics in cancer?
10. According to Latham’s paper, how did the Neolithic Revolution impact our species’ health?
11. What is the Hygiene Hypothesis? What behavior does it not support?
12. Why might disgust have evolved? What is the evidence to support this hypothesis?