Powerful Role of Grandparents Throughout Human History

Scientists have claimed that grandparents thousands of years ago were hugely instrumental in the development of longevity in humans.

This is because they passed on vital skills for survival such as tool-making, knowledge of water supplies and which foods were poisonous and so should be avoided.

Kirstin Hawkes of the University of Utah from her study of the Hadza hunter gatherers of Tanzania extrapolated that grandmothers played a substantial part in the evolution of Homo Sapiens.

Ms Hawkes, in an article published in the Observer said: "Good foraging grannies mean healthy Hadza kids - and that was also true of our ancestors."

Ms Hawkes added that a longer-living grandmother would be of great benefit to her daughter's family in helping them forage for food, and she would also by helping her family to thrive be passing on vital genes for survival.

Furthermore, according to Professor Rachel Caspari of Central Michigan University grandfathers played a significant role too. The rise in the numbers of older humans started a cultural explosion after people began to live after the age of 30.

In an article published in Scientific American, Professor Caspari noted: "Living to an older age had profound effects on the populations' sizes, social interactions and genetics of early modern human groups and may explain why they are more successful than other archaic humans, such as Neanderthals."

Scientists are able to determine the date of death of a human being by analysing their teeth.

It was found that there was a significant difference in the longevities of Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals, who were already in Europe when Homo Sapiens arrived there from Africa, 30,000 years ago.

According to Ms Caspari: "For every 10 young Neanderthals who died between the ages of 10 and 30, there were only four older adults who survived past the age of 30."

However, she added that there was a five-fold increase in longevity among Homo Sapiens as for every 10 young adults who died, 20 reached at least the age of 30.

The effect of this increased longevity would have been far-reaching said Professor Chris Stringer of London's Natural History Museum.

Professor Stringer said: "Older people are important in establishing kinships. When it came to disputes over access to water holes or to land rich in game, the elders there were able to remember distant relations in other tribe, the easier it would have been to negotiate and share resources. Older people would have been essential to survival."

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