"Androgens Shorten the Longevity of Women: Sopranos Last Longer,"
E. Nieschlag, U. Kramer, S. Nieschlag, Experimental and Clinical
Endocrinology and Diabetes, vol. 111, no. 4, August 2003, pp.
230-1.
(Thanks to Ig Nobel Prize winner Richard Wassersug for bringing
this to our attention.) The authors, who are at Institute of
Reproductive Medicine of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University,
Munster, Germany, report that:
"Earlier we found that longevity of castrati was identical to
that of intact singers.... We have now continued our research
into the life expectancy of singers... resulting in the finding
that sopranos, being more oestrogenised, live significantly
longer than altos who are more androgenised, while basses, more
androgenised, show a tendency towards a longer life than tenors,
who are less androgenised."
Right. (Let's see what my opera singer friend has to say about this one.)
I'd be curious as to the relative lifespans of sopranos, mezzos, altos, tenors, baritones & basses to each other. or just the 4 basic categories, if those are the parameters of the study. My guess would be that tenors, poetically, kick off sooner than everyone else. Then altos, then basses, then sopranos. But it would be interesting to note if the men significantly outlive the women, or vice versa, and by what margin. Bring on the visual aids!
ReplyDeleteand, then, to be snarky, i'd have to mention that sopranos seem to far outlive their natural usefulness. And *that's* the real tragedy. er, melodrama. er, whatever.