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Related Experiment Videos

Older age becomes common late in human evolution.

Rachel Caspari1, Sang-Hee Lee

  • 1Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109-1092, USA. rcaspari@umich.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 15, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Human longevity increased significantly throughout evolution, with a dramatic rise in the Early Upper Paleolithic. This enhanced survivorship likely fueled population growth and cultural innovation.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Demography

Background:

  • Human life history is unique among primates due to increased longevity.
  • Extended adult lifespan is hypothesized to be a key factor in human cultural development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the timing of longevity changes in human evolution.
  • To assess the demographic impact of increased adult survivorship.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of dental samples from four successive hominid periods.
  • Assessment of older-to-younger adult ratios using wear seriation.
  • Statistical determination of the significance of ratio differences.

Main Results:

  • A consistent trend of increased adult survivorship across all studied hominid groups.

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  • A pronounced and significant increase in longevity observed in Early Upper Paleolithic modern humans.

    • Conclusions:

    • Longevity has progressively increased throughout human evolution.
    • The dramatic longevity surge in the Early Upper Paleolithic likely facilitated population expansions and the emergence of modern human culture.