Modelling the evolution of human postmenopausal longevity using ordinary differential equations
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A. Le [1] ; P. S. Kim [2]
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[1] University of Queensland
University of Queensland
Australia
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[2] University of Sydney
University of Sydney
Australia
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- Localización: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology, ISSN 0020-739X, Vol. 56, Nº. 10, 2025, págs. 2034-2049
- Idioma: inglés
- DOI: 10.1080/0020739X.2024.2357336
- Enlaces
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Resumen
We present two simple ODE systems based on the mathematical model in Le et al. (2022) investigating how human postmenopausal longevity could have evolved. Specifically, our ODE systems address a fairly recent and provocative hypothesis that ancestral males choosing younger mates drove the evolution of menopause (Morton et al., 2013).
We analyse one system in two ways: (1) determining the explicit solution and (2) reducing it to one ODE and drawing a bifurcation diagram. We analyse the other system by reducing it to two ODEs and using a phase plane. The concepts in this article are suitable for a late second-year or third-year course in nonlinear ODEs.
Our models demonstrate that undergraduate students of dynamical systems can critically engage with a highly cited and internationally recognised hypothesis of human evolution.
