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Evolution of the human life cycle.

Barry Bogin1, B Holly Smith2

  • 1Department or Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn Michigan 48128.

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Summary

Human life stages evolved after Homo erectus, with childhood and adolescence appearing later. This human life cycle, including a post-reproductive stage for women, likely reflects feeding and reproductive specializations.

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Area of Science:

  • Human evolution
  • Paleoanthropology
  • Developmental biology

Background:

  • Social mammals typically exhibit infant, juvenile, and adult stages, with some having a brief post-reproductive phase.
  • The human life cycle is uniquely characterized by five stages: infant, child, juvenile, adolescent, and adult.
  • A prolonged post-reproductive stage is common in human females across diverse societies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origins of human-specific life stages.
  • To determine if the human life cycle, including childhood and adolescence, evolved recently.
  • To explore the potential for identifying the post-reproductive stage in the fossil record.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of fossilized bones and teeth from early hominid subadults.
  • Comparative analysis of developmental stages across mammalian species.
  • Hypothesizing based on hormonal effects on bone density and histology.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests that the human life stages of childhood and adolescence are not ancient.
  • The current human life cycle pattern emerged after the evolution of Homo erectus.
  • Menopause's hormonal impact on bone suggests the post-reproductive stage may be detectable in fossils.

Conclusions:

  • The distinct human life stages, including childhood and adolescence, represent recent evolutionary developments.
  • These life stages likely evolved as feeding and reproductive specializations within the genus Homo.
  • The post-reproductive stage in human females may also be a specialization of the Homo genus.