Unlike children in many hunter-gatherer societies, most of today’s industrialized human beings survive childhood. When we don’t die of something stupid, like preventable infections or violence or accidents, we usually die because we get old. But “getting old” isn’t exactly what kills us. It’s the big three: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease. These are the killers we’re running from. And, as they get older, female bodies are just better at outrunning them.
