Adolescents 25,000 years ago went through similar stages of puberty as today, according to research published in the Journal of Human Evolution.
Evidence of the stages of puberty was found in the bones of 13 Pleistocene humans aged 10-20 years. Researchers from universities and research centers in Canada, the United Kingdom, Monaco and Italy and led by paleoanthropologist April Nowell of the University of Victoria in Canada found specific markers in the bones that allowed them to assess the progress of puberty. Using a technique developed by Mary Lewis from the University of Reading, the research team detected menstruation and a change in voice tone, among other things.
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Most subjects in the study sample entered puberty at 13.5 years and reached full adulthood between 17 and 22 years. This shows, according to the researchers, that Ice Age teenagers entered puberty at a similar time to teenagers in modern, affluent countries.
One of the 13 skeletons examined was ‘Romito 2’, a 16-year-old teenager who lived 11,000 years ago in southern Italy and was the first known person with a form of dwarfism. Since he was in his mid-teens, his voice would be deeper like a grown man and he could be a father, however due to his short height, his appearance would be closer to that of a child.
Research continues with the focus now on the lives of Ice Age teenagers and their social roles.
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Representation of Romito 2. (Illustration: Olivier Graveleau)
Source: www.zougla.gr
