The Menopause Mystery
Radiolab8 Aug 2025

The Menopause Mystery

Until recently, scientists assumed humans were the only species in which females went through menopause, and lived a substantial part of their lives after they were no longer able to reproduce. And they had no idea why that happens, and why evolution wouldn’t push females to keep reproducing right up to the end of their lives. But after a close look at some whale poop, and a deep dive into chimp life, we find several new ways of thinking about menopause and the real purpose of this all too often overlooked second act of life.

Special thanks to Danielle Friedman, Rachel Gross, and Kate Radke.

EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by - Heather Radke and Becca Bressler
Produced by - Sarah Qari and Becca Bressler
Fact-checking by - Emily Krieger
and Edited by - Becca Bressler

EPISODE CITATIONS:
Books -
Check out everything Heather Radke writes, including Butts: A Backstory, cause it’s all that good, here: Heather Radke (www.heatherradke.com).

Find any one of Lucy Cooke’s book, including Bitch:On the Female of the Species, here: Lucy Cooke (http://www.lucycooke.tv/)

And check out everything Caroline Paul has on offer, including Tough Broad, here: Caroline Paul (https://www.carolinepaul.com/)

Socials -
Heather Radke: https://www.instagram.com/radhradke
Lucy Cooke: https://www.instagram.com/luckycooke/


Audio:
Becca Bressler’s greatest hits-
Bloc Party
Our Stupid Little Bodies
Gigaverse

Radiolab | Lateral cuts -
Butt Stuff

Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!

Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.

Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.

Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(662)

Neither Confirm Nor Deny

Neither Confirm Nor Deny

In an episode we first ran back in 2014, we explore how a sunken nuclear submarine, a crazy billionaire, and a mechanical claw gave birth to a phrase that has hounded journalists and lawyers for 40 ye...

17 Juli 0s

The Holy Shiver

The Holy Shiver

Lauren Brown gets goosebumps. A lot. Sometimes several times a day. When her partner, writer Carmen Maria Machado, noticed it...she couldn't stop thinking about it. Why does she get them in so many di...

10 Juli 0s

Atomic Artifacts

Atomic Artifacts

Back in the 1950s, facing the threat of nuclear annihilation, federal officials sat down and pondered what American life would actually look like after an atomic attack. They faced a slew of practical...

3 Juli 40min

The Gondolier

The Gondolier

Back in 2017, reporters Kristen Clark and David Conrad came to us with a story that dug into the difficult and often dark places discrimination creates. We start in Venice, Italy, where they meet gond...

26 Juni 1h 13min

This is Your Brain on Hormones

This is Your Brain on Hormones

After reading something that said her menstrual cycle changes her brain each month, Senior Correspondent Molly Webster goes on a reporting mission to see if that’s true, and, if so, how. This journey ...

19 Juni 39min

Bonus: Wild Animal Dads from Terrestrials

Bonus: Wild Animal Dads from Terrestrials

In honor of Father's Day, here is a family friendly bonus episode from our kids' podcast Terrestrials.  What does it really mean to be a dad? In the animal world, fathers have long been painted as ag...

18 Juni 35min

On the Media: American Emergency

On the Media: American Emergency

A little while back, our friends over at On the Media released a gripping and immersive reporting series about FEMA, the agency that is supposed to be there for all of us in the wake of disaster. In A...

12 Juni 55min

Oliver Sipple

Oliver Sipple

One morning, Oliver Sipple went out for a walk. A couple hours later, to his own surprise, he saved the life of the President of the United States. In a story we reported back in 2017, we explain how ...

5 Juni 1h 3min

Populärt inom Vetenskap

p3-dystopia
dumma-manniskor
allt-du-velat-veta
hacka-livet
svd-nyhetsartiklar
medicinvetarna
bildningspodden
sexet
rss-spraket
rss-vetenskapsradion-2
psykopatpodden
rss-arkeologi-historia-podden-som-graver-i-vart-kulturlandskap
det-morka-psyket
rss-ufobortom-rimligt-tvivel
vetenskapsradion
rss-ronden
4health-med-anna-sparre
rss-vetenskapsradion
rss-broccolipodden-en-podcast-som-inte-handlar-om-broccoli
kvalificerat-hemligt-poddradio