It's a Man's Man's Man's World (but only for a little bit)

Last year I learned a few reasons why women live longer than men. Today the BBC has given me one more reason.

Researchers in Japan experimenting on mice have found that if you eliminate the male genes from the offspring before its birth, the animal will live a third longer than one with normal genetic inheritance. The resulting mouse is lighter and smaller but also appears to have a better immune system.

The reason is a gene that is passed down by the fathers, which is inherited by both his male and female kids but only expressed in the males. It allows the males to grow big and strong, but at the expense of their life spans.

Not only do female humans live longer than their male counterparts, the same is true for many other mammals. And of course for humans, it might not be as simple as just one gene, but the general picture is still the same.