A female orca catches a herring as it swims in the Reisafjorden fjord region, near the Norwegian northern city of Tromso in the Arctic Circle, on January 13, 2019. Why do humans experience menopause? Its a question that some women going through the symptoms might have asked themselves more than once. AFP photo

PARIS (March 14): Why do humans experience menopause? Its a question that some women going through the symptoms might have asked themselves more than once.

Scientists are also baffled. From an evolutionary perspective, animals generally take every chance they can get to have as many offspring as possible to boost their odds of survival.

So why have some species evolved to have menopause, in which females live many years after they stop being able to reproduce?

That there are so few other examples in the animal kingdom only deepens the mystery.

Out of 5,000 mammals, just five species of whales with teeth including killer whales, beluga whales and narwhals are the only others known to have females that regularly live long after they stop reproducing.

However plenty of other toothed whales, such as dolphins, do not experience menopause.

By looking at the differences between these two groups, a UK-led team of researchers sought to discover why some whales evolved to get menopause and what this could tell us about ourselves.

Despite our many differences, humans share a convergent life history with these ocean giants that led to the independent evolution of menopause, the researchers concluded in a study published in Nature on Wednesday.

Their results tied together several existing hypotheses. The first piece of the puzzle involving lifespan.

The grandmother hypothesis

Females of the five species that have menopause live roughly 40 years longer than other similar-sized whales, the researchers found.

These female whales also easily outlive males of their own kind.

Female killer whales regularly live into their 60s and 70s, but the males are all dead by 40, lead study author Samuel Ellis of the UKs University of Exeter told an online press conference.

This supports what is known as the grandmother hypothesis that older females care for their grandchildren, therefore helping their species survive in a different way.

But why would it be an evolutionary advantage for these grandmothers to stop having offspring?

The second part of this story is about competition, study co-author Darren Croft said.

When killer whale mothers and daughters try and breed at the same time, the calves of the older females have a significantly lower survival rate as they compete for resources, he said.

So they have evolved a longer lifespan while keeping a short reproductive lifespan, Croft added.

This is just the same pattern of life history we see in humans.

Though we walk on land and they swim through the ocean, the similarities between human and whale social structures is absolutely striking, Croft said.

The importance of matriarchy

Older matriarchs play an important role within both societies, he said.

For example, the experience older females have gathered over their lives helps the whale families get through hard times such as environmental challenges or a lack of food.

But just having a matriarchal society is not enough. Older female elephants, for example, look after their offspring but keep reproducing until the end of their lives.

The key difference could be that older whale mothers keep looking after their sons, Croft said. Young male elephants, however, leave the family group.

Both sons and daughters sticking around could even be a unique trait to the five whales and humans that get menopause, he speculated.

Rebecca Sear, an evolutionary demographer and anthropologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine not involved in the study, cautioned that this could not provide definitive answers to the question of why menopause evolved.

Whales are incredibly difficult to study, and a lot of the data used for the research was from unnaturalevents such as mass strandings, she commented in Nature.

Meanwhile, there has been increasing criticism that menopause in human women remains badly under-researched due to a long-standing male-skewed bias in medical research.

Human grandmothers, like whale grandmothers, are important in the lives of their adult children and grandchildren, but older women are too often ignored in policy circles and public health research, Sear said. AFP

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Whale menopause sheds light on human evolutionary mystery - The Borneo Post

Unsurprisingly, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super, one of the best graphics cards, launched with a 16-pin power connector (12VHPWR). According to a photograph from a Japanese reviewer, at least one vendor had seemingly contemplated using standard 8-pin PCIe power connectors instead.

A teardown of the Palit GeForce RTX 4080 Super GamingPro OC revealed spacing on the PCB for two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Curiously, the empty area is right next to the 12VHPWR power connector, almost as if using the connector was a decision after the original design. Although PCI-SIG has improved the design of the 12VHPWR power connector for enhanced safety, there is still a bit of fear surrounding the revised 12V-2x6 power connector, especially after the original one was the star of the meltdown fiasco on the flagship GeForce RTX 4090.

Just like the recently launched GeForce RTX 4070 Super, it's plausible that the usage of the 12VHPWR power connector is a requirement for the GeForce RTX 4080 Super. However, vendors like Maxsun defy the requisite and use two 8-pin PCIe power connectors on the brand's GeForce RTX 4070 Super iCraft. In Palit's case, it appears that the manufacturer aligned with Nvidia's requirements. Curiously, if Palit had gone down the other road, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super GamingPro OC would have been the only custom GeForce RTX 4080 Super to feature that design. The power connectors were also designed to be placed at the rear of the graphics card, a design typical for professional products.

The GeForce RTX 4080 Super has a TGP (total graphics power) of 320W. However, according to Nvidia, the Ada Lovelace graphics card's average power consumption during gaming is around 246W. A pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors and the PCIe expansion slot (375W) suffice to cover the TGP. The included 16-pin power adapter with the GeForce RTX 4080 Super GamingPro OC has two 8-pin PCIe connectors on the other end. Unless you own an ATX 3.0 power supply, you'll likely have to run two 8-pin PCIe power cables to the GeForce RTX 4080 Super, which defeats the purpose of minimizing cable clutter.

Given the similarities between the regular GeForce RTX 4080 and GeForce RTX 4080 Super, many of Nvidia's AIB partners may recycle the former PCBs for the new Super variant. Palit likely did the same for the GeForce RTX 4080 Super GamingPro OC, so the PCB is potentially the one the company uses for the GeForce RTX 4080 GamingPro OC. The GeForce RTX 4080 GamingPro OC also utilizes the 12VHPWR power connector, so the decision to use 8-pin PCIe power connectors dates back to the GeForce RTX 4080 launch.

It's unlikely that Palit will openly tell us what's up with the design or why the company ultimately decided to modify the original floor plan. You don't typically leave space for something you don't plan to use. Nvidia has enthusiastically pushed the 12VHPWR power connector on its Ada Lovelace-based graphics cards. That alone is sufficient to give us a clue as to Palit's change of mind.

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RTX 4080 Super teardown sheds light on power connector controversy PCB shows traces for two 8-pin connectors ... - Tom's Hardware

Studies show that transgender women, especially transgender women of color, are disproportionately affected by HIV, but research regarding their HIV risk factors is lacking. To shed light on whats causing the higher rate of HIV diagnoses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Among Transgender Women (NHBS-Trans) and published findings in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and in a special report highlighting the main findings. The data were then further broken down and published in six individual reports.

The main goal of the project was to conduct an HIV-related bio-behavioral survey to monitor behavioral risks, prevention use and HIV prevalence, according to the special report. Its main findings were that transgender women need to be a priority population and that HIV prevalence was high [and the] result of complex layering of syndemics [and] social and economic factors.

In short, the researchers underscored that HIV risk among trans women was related to discrimination, violence, homelessness and low uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to prevent HIV.

For the report, about 1,600 U.S. transgender women from seven project areasAtlanta, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle responded to the survey. In total, 42% tested positive for HIV; when broken down by race/ethnicity this meant that 62% of Black trans women participants, 35% of Latina trans women and 17% of white trans women tested positive for the virus. Other top-line findings include:

To address these disparities and improve quality of life for transgender women, the CDC authors emphasize the need for better housing services, behavioral health services, employment, gender-affirming care and clinical care.

Findings from NHBS-Trans can help guide community leaders, clinicians, and public health officials in improving access to and use of HIV prevention and treatment services by transgender women, the authors wrote.

Below are the links to the six individual reports according to the topics:

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CDC Sheds Light on High HIV Risk Among Trans Women - POZ

One person died and several others were injured after the metal shed of a local market fell on Monday morning in Yiyang, Hunan province due to large amount of snowfall, China Central Television reported.

The TV station quoted the head of the market as saying that six people who have been trapped under the shed have been rescued and they are in stable condition, while seven to eight people were injured and sent to hospital.

The market covers an area of around 1,000 square meters and mainly sells daily necessities.

Freezing rain and snow have battered most parts of Hunan province since Thursday and local authorities have raised its emergency response for rain, snow and freezing temperatures from level IV to level III.

Local authorities have been asked to conduct a thorough inspection on all kinds of sheds as the snowfall and freezing rain has made them dangerous.

All sheds that are covered by snow should stop use and no people should live or enter such places. No large gathering events should be hosted under the sheds, according to a notice issued on Monday.

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Metal shed cave in kills one, injures several others - China Daily

As I consider the reverberations in the Middle East, following the brutal Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7 of last year, Im reminded of an interview I did with Rev. Harry Coffman, an Assembly of God pastor, who visited Kodiak Island long after serving as a missionary in the village of Larsen Bay in the late 1960s. Coffman spent a great deal of time in the Middle East.

After living on Kodiak Island, he pastored parishes in the Pacific Northwest and founded Springs of Living Water Fellowship, a ministry designed to mentor pastors in starting churches and meeting the needs of the local community.

Coffman met with dignitaries from other countries and was a close friend of Sam Brownback, former U.S. Senator and Kansas governor, and the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

Throughout his ministry, Coffman developed the gift of prophecy, giving messages of encouragement to people.

Coffman said he met Egyptian Coptic monks and his bishop, when he spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2004 in Washington, D.C. He was accompanied to the nations capital by his wife, Roberta.

The clergy were raising money for equipment for a clinic in Cairo.

When the bishop and priest laughed, I thought there was something very special about these two men, Coffman recalled.

At the end of the presentation, Coffman was asked to pray for the Egyptian clergy.

As I went to pray for them, I was reminded of the Scripture that says, Blessed are the feet of those who bring glad tidings. So I knelt and prayed for their feet. I thanked the Lord for bringing them here.

After Coffmans presentation at the prayer breakfast, the bishop kept tugging at him. He got to the microphone and asked Coffman to prophesy over him. I dont remember talking about prophecy, Coffman said.

At that meeting Coffman prophesied that the Coptic Church in Egypt would be persecuted; the water and road systems and communications would be cut off.

Coffman told the clergy that they needed to build their own water and communications systems, enlarge farms and orchards, raise fish farms, and buy more property.

He calls the message a download from Heaven.

They got the mic, put it in front of my face and recorded everything, Coffman said.

They lined up and asked to be prayed for. Youd think we had Pentecost all over again. It was unbelievable. I was very well blessed.

The bishop wrote a special invitation for Coffman to visit them in Egypt. I had no desire to go to Egypt, he said.

During the following weeks, he would sit up in bed at 4 a.m., hounded by one word: Egypt.

Finally, my wife said, I wish youd say yes, so we could get some sleep. I did go to Egypt, he said.

On his first visit to Egypt, Coffman went to St. Marks Monastery in Alexandria, where a man was attacked with a sword. I marched around the church praying for protection, Coffman recalled.

The army ended up marching with me, which was pretty awesome. They marched around the church three times, declaring peace. Even the Muslims were following him. They smiled at me. An Egyptian army truck full of army guys was following me, too, said Coffman.

During his stay in Alexandria, Coffman celebrated Pascha (Easter) with the monastic community.

During Holy Week, Coffman was told that all of the gates were closed. The monastery wasnt taking anyone in. When I arrived, I was taken in.

On Easter, 185 priests and monks gathered with the bishop to celebrate the holiday.

I went through Good Friday Mass, which was 12 hours and Easter mass which was seven hours. And I survived, said Coffman.

I was blown away. I had never read so many Scriptures pertaining to Easter and the Resurrection. I felt like a kindergartner. They handed me a thick book with Scriptures and prayers in English.

I was so impressed. They had been fasting for 50 days.

They were very sensitive in the spirit, very sensitive to who I was. I didnt need to give them credentials. They read me right away. I was very impressed with their relationship with the Lord. They loved God and worshiped Him. They were totally sold out. They made me feel that I have a lot of growing to do. They blessed me, said Coffman.

Coffman returned to Egypt two years later. They had accomplished everything I said they should do, which was a good move, in light of the impending persecution that awaited them. It all started with what President Barack Obama called The Arab Spring.

Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, was ousted and his government overthrown.

President Mohamed Morsi a member of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood was put in charge. The Muslim Brotherhood supporters burned dozens of churches throughout Egypt and killed at least 45 Coptic Christians.

Morsis administration was eventually overthrown and the country came under the rule of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The third time Coffman visited Egypt was when Bin Laden was killed. Coffman went to Cairo. The Muslims were coming after me. I (attended) church in Cairo. Its a big church. I met with 20 priests that night.

He left Cairo and flew to Ethiopia. He found out that 12 of those priests were murdered by militant Muslims. It was a close call. I grieved about it, Coffman said.

While in Kodiak, Coffman expressed a desire to go back to Egypt in order to meet the leader, El-Sisi.

Coffman had prophetic words for Americans. He said the United States will be going through extremes on the negative and positive sides.

This will cause people to rise up and come out from among evil-doers, bringing a unity amongst Orthodox, Catholic and Protestants, he said. They will come together and become really very strong and united for the cause of righteousness.

While acknowledging the brutal persecution brought on by militant Muslims, Coffman talked about people of the Islamic faith, who are coming to Christ. Muslims make great Christians, he said. Theyre so disciplined.

Coffman also told engaging stories about his time in Larsen Bay, which Ill share in an upcoming column.

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Former island resident sheds light on Middle East crisis - Kodiak Daily Mirror

Whether you have valuable antiques, precious jewelry, or extra money, you want to ensure you're keeping it in a safe place. Not only are sheds unsafe in regard to break-ins, but environmental factors can harm many of your valuables. Items like jewelry, silverware, coins, and antique metals can tarnish or become discolored. Gemstones are also susceptible to heat, which can cause the colors to become less vibrant. High temperatures can also cause metals to expand, weakening them and possibly even causing warping or breakage. Paper money can become brittle, moldy, or snacked on by common outdoor shed pests such as mice or termites.

Keep your valuables locked safely inside, ideally with a home safe. Consider a jewelry box for necklaces, rings, watches, and other high-value accessories with a soft lining to keep the metals shiny and protected from scratches. Some boxes even have locks on them for an added safeguard, such as this multi-tier one from Amazon for $40. If you don't want to keep valuables in your house, a safety deposit box at the bank will provide you with high levels of security and ensure your valuables are protected from elemental, fire, and flood damage.

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Home Items You Really Shouldn't Be Storing In An Outdoor Shed - House Digest

A trailer for the new Lifetime documentary about Wendy Williams is shining light on some personal struggles that have gone on behind the scenes and played out in headlines.

The 59-year-old talk show host will open up about her relationship with fame and family and address her struggles with money and alcohol amongst other things in the two-part project Where is Wendy Williams?

Out Friday (February 2), the first trailer offers a hint at what is to come.

Head inside to watch the trailer

From six years old, all I wanted was to be famous, Wendy explains in the opening moments of the trailer. In a voiceover, another person said that she disappeared at the peak of her career after her talk show was cancelled.

The trailer features appearances from several family members and touches on Wendy being assigned a financial guardian in 2022.

On the topic of her finances, she said that she had no money. In another moment, she addressed claims that her money was being stolen.

I love being famous, but family is everything, she says in one of the final moments.

Wendy is acting as an executive producer on the project.

The two-part documentary premieres on Lifetime on February 24. The second part airs the following day.

Last year Wendys son Kevin Hunter Jr. revealed some concerns he had about his moms health and her team.

Press play on the trailer for Where is Wendy Williams below

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'Where is Wendy Williams?' Documentary Trailer Sheds Light on Icon's Personal Struggles - Just Jared

Rumors are always prominent this time of year. The Chicago Bears were always going to be part of them because they held the #1 pick in the 2024 draft. So, they control the narrative of how things will go. One of the most notable rumors over the past week was the idea Caleb Williams, the former USC star quarterback and presumptive top pick, preferred to avoid going to Chicago in favor of returning home to Washington. Nobody took the idea too seriously since it didnt come from Williams himself, but circumstances have somewhat changed.

The Washington Commanders, who hold the #2 pick, are set to hire former USC quarterbacks coach Kliff Kingsbury as their new offensive coordinator. While it doesnt set anything in stone, the timing is certainly interesting. Maybe they liked Kingsbury as a candidate overall, or perhaps theyre hiring the guy who knows Williams better than any other available option. This has led some to speculate that Washington and Chicago may already be discussing a potential trade that would see the teams swap spots.

Insider Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus added some interesting details on that subject.

Subscribe to the BFR Podcast for analysis, insight, and discussion about Chicago Bears football.

The answer is simple. If GM Ryan Poles doesnt see much of a gap between Williams and either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels as quarterback prospects, then it would make sense to take advantage of Washingtons obvious interest. If the Bears can secure a future 1st round pick by moving down one spot and still getting a quarterback they like, it is an easy decision. While many in the media seem to think Williams is the obvious choice, there are more than a few who believe Maye is the better overall prospect.

This could all be nothing but smoke and mirrors. Maybe Washington thinks Kingsbury can work just fine with Maye. Still, its hard not to connect the dots. Poles already proved once hes not afraid to move down from the #1 spot if he gets an offer he likes. Everything hinges on what the Chicago Bears GM thinks of Williams. If he sees a franchise QB, there is no way hes moving. However, if he thinks there is no difference between him and Maye, a trade becomes far more likely. Keep an eye on the scouting combine. That is typically where the real action begins.

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Insider Sheds Light On Recent Chicago Bears-Washington Trade Rumors - Sports Mockery

TheMarried At First Sightweddings may be wrapped up (at least until it's time for the intruders) but before we get into the first dinner party, a former MAFS star has revealed the behind-the-scenes secrets of filming the weddings.

Melinda Willis was a season 10 bride who had a very memorable wedding to former beau Layton Mills, with the pair marrying on a super yacht.

Melinda spoke to Yahoo Australia's Behind The Edit podcast, revealing what it was like to film the wedding for MAFS, including the extra-long hours the participants are putting in behind the scenes.

"I was up at 6am and then I think I was in hair and makeup by 6:30. I think I was meant to get [to the venue] at 10 but I started later because girls getting ready, it all went pear-shaped. And then I think I got there at like 11, it was raining," Melinda said.

"I don't think we actually did the aisle until maybe 3pm, and apparently Layton had been standing there for 45 minutes before I got there at the altar. But I had to do so many takes in the rain!"

Melinda said things like redoing hair and makeup added time onto the already jam-packed day.

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"My hair was all flat again so the hairdresser had to curl it all. She was really upset because she had to curl it like, three times," she shared. "And by the time we got there, I think we were so behind that they literally just took me into this vacant area and went, Okay, just walk around there. But I didn't know it was my wedding.

"So when I came around, I'm waiting for this moment - you know how you see the head turn and you see what they look like and if they like you. I walked down and by the time I looked up, two men were standing staring at me - the celebrant and Layton. I didnt know who was who! So I just missed my moment, I was really upset about that, secretly."

Story continues

Melinda then said after her 6am wakeup, the wedding went through until the early hours of the next morning.

"[Wedding went] into the early am. Its a huge day, I would say our wedding was 14 hours and theyre putting together this 20-minute clip," she revealed.

When asked how everyone gets through the day, Melinda had this to say.

"Everyone's really wasted at the wedding. Youre really drunk and all your friends and family are even drunker!" she said.

Melinda and Layton stayed together post-MAFS but announced their breakup in October last year, with Melinda recently revealing to Yahoo Lifestyle that she's no longer in contact with Layton.

"I'm not still in contact with Layton and at this stage, I don't see myself getting back together with him," she said.

"I have days where I will miss Layton and miss certain things and I have days where I'm so angry and I can't go back there. I'm much happier now."

Love MAFS? Make sure you check our brand new vodcast: Yahoo Australia's Behind the Edit - available wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Subscribe to our new MAFS newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Got a story tip? Email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.

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MAFS star sheds light on extreme wedding day filming: 'Everyone's really wasted' - Yahoo Lifestyle Australia

A 28-year-old transient is accused of setting a fire inside a shed at the Sunnyside Museum.

Police responding to a fire behind the museum, 704 S. Fourth St. around 2:30 p.m. Saturday spotted the suspect leaving the area on a bike. The fire was inside a wooden shed and posed a danger to nearby buildings and antique machinery outside the museum, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police said the man has been known to start fires, according to the affidavit, and was arrested on suspicion of first-degree reckless burning.

During a Monday preliminary appearance hearing in Yakima County Superior Court, Deputy Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Bret Roberts asked for $5,000 bail, noting the man had no meaningful ties to the community and has warrants out of Lake Forest and Everett.

Defense attorney Melissa Derry argued for release on pretrial release, noting that he has family members in the Sunnyside area and most of his misdemeanor criminal history has involved dismissed charges.

Yakima County Superior Court Judge Sonia Rodriguez True set bail at $2,500, concerned that he might not appear at future court hearings.

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Transient accused of starting fire in shed by Sunnyside Museum - Yakima Herald-Republic