ANT E101 Chapter 7: Ant E 101 - human menopause
Document Summary
Bipedalism requires a pelvis with a narrow birth canal. Hypothesis 2: due to metabolic constraints of gestation. Hypothesis 3: selective advantages of extended neural development. Key maturational changes in the brain continue through adolescence. Brain maturation occurs under massive environmental and social influences in our species. Neural circuits responsible for behavior are shaped by experiences in the local environment. Unique features of the human body growth curve: Prolonged period of slow body growth during childhood. Marked adolescent growth spurt, which is late in onset and high magnitude. Slow body growth during human childhood coincides with peak demands of brain metabolism. Post-reproductive period in the lives of females, characterized by the permanent cessation of ovulation and menstruation. Fertility decline has been documented in other primates. But humans are unique: reproductive termination occurs midway through the lifespan, well before advanced somatic aging. Humans also have reduced age-specific mortality long lifespans.
