carpe decorum

Old is Good

At least for human evolution. Researchers have found a more than fourfold increase in the number of old humans beginning 32,000 years ago during the Upper Paleolithic Era. By analyzing the rate of wear and tear of molars, they were able to gauge how much of the population was old, that is twice the age at which they could reproduce, across four groups of hominids. And among Upper Paleolithic humans, suddenly many survived to be grandparents. Other studies have shown grandmothers provided the extra care, wisdom and food to improve the odds their daughters' offspring would reach adulthood. So the thinking runs, suddenly having more grandparents around benefits not just the survival rates of additional children, but increases the knowledge available, and opens the possibility of creating cultures and civilizations.

And to think we consider 30 somethings young and callow now!