Publication Date
1-6-2023
Journal
Science Advances
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.abm7047
PMID
36608127
PMCID
PMC9821931
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
1-6-2023
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes
Abstract
The generation times of our recent ancestors can tell us about both the biology and social organization of prehistoric humans, placing human evolution on an absolute time scale. We present a method for predicting historical male and female generation times based on changes in the mutation spectrum. Our analyses of whole-genome data reveal an average generation time of 26.9 years across the past 250,000 years, with fathers consistently older (30.7 years) than mothers (23.2 years). Shifts in sex-averaged generation times have been driven primarily by changes to the age of paternity, although we report a substantial increase in female generation times in the recent past. We also find a large difference in generation times among populations, reaching back to a time when all humans occupied Africa.
Included in
Biological Phenomena, Cell Phenomena, and Immunity Commons, Biomedical Informatics Commons, Genetics and Genomics Commons, Medical Genetics Commons, Medical Molecular Biology Commons, Medical Specialties Commons