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Definition: When did the concept of the grandmother hypothesis emerge?

The hypothesis was first proposed by Kristen Hawkes, James O’Connell, and Nicholas Blurton Jones in 1997. They observed that in many traditional societies, grandmothers often played a crucial role in childcare and provisioning, allowing their daughters to have more children and increasing the survival rates of their grandchildren.

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This hypothesis suggests that the presence of grandmothers as caregivers and providers of resources allowed for increased reproductive success for their offspring. By assisting in the care of their grandchildren, grandmothers indirectly contributed to the survival and reproductive success of their own genes.

The grandmother hypothesis has since been supported by various studies and has become an important concept in understanding the evolution of human longevity. It highlights the significance of intergenerational cooperation and the role of older individuals in promoting the survival and well-being of future generations.

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