[extropy-chat] Elderly crucial to evolutionary success of humans

[Extropian Agroforestry Ventures Inc.]

Similarly, people who can live beyond the traditional 3 score and ten well
into  the
second century in good, productive body and mind health  will deliver
a different world view than those who acquiesce to degeneration and death
between decades 6 and 9.

The first thought I have is a divergence from  a simple cosmetic anti-aging
popularity in favor of
substantial physical results based medical services economy.




BillK wrote:

> <http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996113>
>
> Senior citizens played an important role in the dramatic spread of human
> civilization some 30,000 years ago, a study of the human fossil record
> has shown.
> Caspari and Lee found a five-fold increase the number of individuals
> surviving into old age in the Early Upper Palaeolithic period - around
> 30,000 years ago. This coincides with an explosive population growth of
> modern humans and the spread of archaeological artifacts that suggest
> the development of more complex social organization.
> Anthropologists have long suspected that older people may have played an
> important role in the development of early human societies by providing
> extra care for children, helping to accumulate useful information and
> strengthening kinship bonds.
> Caspari believes that older people may have giving modern humans an
> evolutionary edge. "There has been a lot of speculation about what gave
> modern humans their evolutionary advantage," Caspari said. "This
> research provides a simple explanation for which there is now concrete
> evidence: modern humans were older and wiser."
>
> ----------
>
> So the whole of our modern civilization can be put down to crotchety old
> folk saying "You really don't want to do that" to long-haired youngsters
> wearing flares and playing with matches.  :)
>
> Better be nice to the oldies. Maybe they do talk sense sometimes.
>
> BillK
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