Paleodemography, grandmothering, and modern human evolution: a comment on Caspari and Lee (2004)

Minichillo, Tom

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2005.04.011

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Therefore, our results could support (i.e., did not refute) the grandmother hypothesis as applied to early Homo because the early Homo OY ratio was significantly higher than that of the australopiths. We do not agree with Minichillo's (2005) contention that our results provide no support for O 'Connell et al's (1999) position. However, because these OY ratios are still very low (OY Z 0.25), we considered it weak support.…”

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Natural Selection, Technological Progress, and the Origin of Human Longevity

Grall¹,

Meckl²

2022

Review of Economics

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This paper suggests that feedback effects between technological progress and human longevity lie at the heart of their common emergence in human history. It connects two major research questions. First, the long life span after menopause is a unique but puzzling feature of humans among primates. Second, the shift in human behavior at least 50,000 years ago, which led to an unprecedented pace of technological progress, is still not well understood. The paper develops an evolutionary growth theory that builds on the trade–off between the quantity and the quality of offspring. It suggests that early technological advances gradually increased the importance of intergenerational transfers of knowledge. Eventually, the fertility advantage shifted towards individuals that were characterized by higher parental investment in offspring and a significant post–reproductive life span. Subsequently, the rise in human longevity reinforced the process of development and laid the foundations for sustained technological progress. As a key feature, the theory resolves the debate about a “revolution” in human behavior in an entirely new way. It shows that a gradual emergence of modern behavior is sufficient to trigger a demographic shift that appears as a “behavioral revolution” in the archeological record.

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Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Natural Selection, Technological Progress, and the Origin of Human Longevity

Grall¹,

Meckl²

2022

Review of Economics

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“…Upper Paleolithic humans ( (Caspari and Lee 2004); but see (Hawkes and O'Connell 2005;Minichillo 2005)). Re-estimation of several paleo-mortality curves based on hazard analysis and maximum likelihood methods shows a life course pattern more similar to that of modern human hunter-gatherers than previous methods (Konigsberg and Herrmann 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity loss associated with functional disability in a contemporary small-scale subsistence population

Stieglitz

Hooper

Trumble

et al. 2020

eLife

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In comparative cross-species perspective, humans experience unique physical impairments with potentially large consequences. Quantifying the burden of impairment in subsistence populations is critical for understanding selection pressures underlying strategies that minimize risk of production deficits. We examine among forager-horticulturalists whether compromised bone strength (indicated by fracture and lower bone mineral density, BMD) is associated with subsistence task cessation; we estimate the magnitude of productivity losses associated with compromised bone strength. Fracture is associated with cessation of hunting, tree chopping and walking long distances, but not tool manufacture. Age-specific productivity losses from hunting cessation associated with fracture and lower BMD are substantial: ~397 lost kcals/day, with expected future losses of up to 1.9 million kcals (22% of expected production). Productivity loss is thus substantial for high strength and endurance tasks. Determining the extent to which impairment obstructs productivity in contemporary subsistence populations improves our ability to infer past consequences of impairment.

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“…Whether lifespans were too short for some fossil hominins to expect significant post-reproductive longevity is vigorously debated (see (Gurven and Kaplan 2007; Hawkes 2003; Hill et al 2007) and references therein). One study using dental-wear seriation and relative macro-age categories (ratio of old to young) demonstrated an increase in the relative presence of older adults from Australopithecines to early Homo and Early Upper Paleolithic humans ((Caspari and Lee 2004); but see (Hawkes and O’Connell 2005; Minichillo 2005)). Re-estimation of several paleo-mortality curves based on hazard analysis and maximum likelihood methods shows a life course pattern more similar to that of modern human hunter-gatherers than previous methods (Konigsberg and Herrmann 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity loss associated with physical impairment in a contemporary small-scale subsistence population

Stieglitz

Hooper

Trumble

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Humans experience unique physical impairments with potentially severe economic consequences. Quantifying the burden of impairment in subsistence populations is critical for understanding selection pressures underlying strategies that minimize risk of production deficits. We examine among forager-horticulturalists whether compromised bone strength (indicated by vertebral fracture and lower bone mineral density, BMD) is associated with diminished subsistence involvement. We estimate the magnitude of productivity losses associated with compromised bone strength. Fracture is associated with cessation of hunting, tree chopping and walking long distances, but not tool manufacture. Age-specific productivity losses from hunting cessation related to fracture and lower BMD are substantial: ~397 lost kcals/day, with expected future losses of up to 1.88 million kcals (22% of expected production). Productivity loss is thus substantial for high strength and endurance tasks. Determining the extent to which impairment obstructs productivity in contemporary subsistence populations improves the ability to infer consequences of impairment over human evolution.

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Paleodemography, grandmothering, and modern human evolution: a comment on Caspari and Lee (2004)

Cited by 8 publications

References 7 publications

Natural Selection, Technological Progress, and the Origin of Human Longevity

Natural Selection, Technological Progress, and the Origin of Human Longevity

Productivity loss associated with functional disability in a contemporary small-scale subsistence population

Productivity loss associated with physical impairment in a contemporary small-scale subsistence population

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