The emergence of longevous populations
Abstract
The human lifespan has traversed a long evolutionary and historical path, from short-lived primate ancestors to contemporary Japan, Sweden, and other longevity frontrunners. Analyzing this trajectory is crucial for understanding biological and sociocultural processes that determine the span of life. Here we reveal a fundamental regularity. Two straight lines describe the joint rise of life expectancy and lifespan equality: one for primates and the second one over the full range of human experience from average lifespans as low as 2 y during mortality crises to more than 87 y for Japanese women today. Across the primate order and across human populations, the lives of females tend to be longer and less variable than the lives of males, suggesting deep evolutionary roots to the male disadvantage. Our findings cast fresh light on primate evolution and human history, opening directions for research on inequality, sociality, and aging.
Cite this
Fernando Colchero, Roland Rau, Owen R. Jones, Dalia A. Conde, Adam G. Lenart, László Németh, … James W. Vaupel (2016). The emergence of longevous populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1612191113
@article{fernando2016the,
title = {The emergence of longevous populations},
author = {Colchero, Fernando and Rau, Roland and Jones, Owen R. and Conde, Dalia A. and Lenart, Adam G. and Németh, László and Scheuerlein, Alexander and Schöley, Jonas and Torres, Catalina and Zarulli, Virginia and A, Jeanne Altmann and Brockman, Diane K. and Bronikowski, Anne M. and Fedigan, Linda Marie and Pusey, Anne E. and Stoinski, Tara S. and Strier, Karen Barbara and Baudisch, Annette and Alberts, Susan C. and Vaupel, James W.},
year = {2016},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1612191113}
}Citations in this library
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