We're saying you should start scouting for potential dates at nursing homes, but new research shows that men who fathered children later in life might live longer. Here's an explanation from researchers at Northwestern University (via Yahoo):
If your father and grandfather were able to live and reproduce at a later age, this might predict that you yourself live in an environment that is somewhat similar — an environment with less accidental deaths or in which men are only able to find a partner at later ages. In such an environment, investing more in a body capable of reaching these late ages could be an adaptive strategy from an evolutionary perspective.
What's even more interesting about the study is what's going on with their offspring's DNA. The study found that kids fathered by older men were also born with longer telomeres (parts of DNA that keep chromosomes from deteriorating). Since longer telomeres mean slower aging, these kids may actually be genetically programmed to age slowly just in case they too will put off having kids until later in life.However, the findings goes against previous research which revealed that as men age, the quality of their sperm deteriorates, increasing the risk of certain genetic abnormalities.
