longevity-2

A four-part SMBC comic. Panel 1: A small child with curly orange hair asks her mother, 'Mommy, why do trees live so long but animals live so short?' The mother, a woman with brown hair, round glasses, and a yellow shirt, replies flatly, 'Selection pressure.' Panel 2: The mother spreads her arms and explains, 'Often trees can only succeed by waiting for other older trees to die out. This creates an evolutionary arms race where victory goes to whoever can survive long enough for the elders to keel over.' A pink banner reads 'Several thousand generations later...' Panel 3: The same orange-haired child asks, 'Mommy, why do scientists live so long?' The mother now has green hair, a pink shirt, and a glowing tech visor covering her eyes; she answers, 'Selection pressure' - implying scientists have evolved long lifespans for the same reason, to outlast their elders. Votey: The futuristic visored scientist mother says, 'Just twelve more generations and I can get tenure,' joking that the slow grind toward academic tenure now spans evolutionary timescales.