Scientists reveal the surprising reason why women live longer than men
Men are known as the 'heterogametic sex' because their sex chromosomes do not match – they have one X and one Y.
But this puts them at a disadvantage compared to females, who have two X chromosomes.
Because of their XY chromosomes, males are left more prone to harmful genetic mutations and disease – and ultimately an earlier death on average.
'We believe that the heterogametic sex is partially the answer,' Dr Fernando Colchero, study author at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told.
'We found that there are factors which are tightly linked to our evolutionary history that contribute as well.'
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