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>We are essentially living past our primitive life expectancy until something fails I will chime in and say "not really". If a human makes it past say 10 years

>We are essentially living past our primitive life expectancy until something fails I will chime in and say "not really". If a human makes it past say 10 years old (even really makes it past 2 years old), odds are they make it to 55-80 without modern medicine, civilization, etc. The only reason life expediencies appear lower than 50 (all the way down to the 30s) in places and in eras is due to insane infant mortality driving the numbers down. The life expectancy of those who make it to 2 years old is dramatically higher than that general life expectancy number.

falcor84 7y ago
>The only reason life expediencies appear lower than 50 (all the way down to the 30s) in places and in eras is due to insane infant mortality driving the numbers down. Violence (leading to either immediate death, or due to infection) and epidemics (e.g. HIV) are also very significant factors.
tuxone 7y ago
The likelihood of making it past 2-10 years old depends on modern medicine and civilization. So does marking it up to 55-80
- Ensorceled 7y ago
  You are agreeing with the parent on the first part and simply disagreeing with the parent, without any evidence, on the second part.
  - glenneroo 7y ago
    I understood GP's comment to mean that modern medicine and civilization are the reason for both parts.
- Amezarak 7y ago
  The effect of modern medicine is actually mostly muted in the data, excluding infant mortality, because of other factors (diet, fitness, environment.) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ Between 1850-1880, life expectancy in England was as long or longer than it is now. This predates antibiotics and nearly all vaccines, let alone what we today think of as advanced medical care.
Retric 7y ago
Civilization has done quite a bit. Violence, starvation, even predation used to be far more common issues. Modern medicine and in many ways hygiene has removed many diseases like cholera, typhoid, smallpox, tuberculosis, and malaria from huge swaths of the global population. By one estimate Malaria alone has killed 50 Billion people throughout human history.

falcor84 7y ago

>The only reason life expediencies appear lower than 50 (all the way down to the 30s) in places and in eras is due to insane infant mortality driving the numbers down. Violence (leading to either immediate death, or due to infection) and epidemics (e.g. HIV) are also very significant factors.

tuxone 7y ago

The likelihood of making it past 2-10 years old depends on modern medicine and civilization. So does marking it up to 55-80

Ensorceled 7y ago
You are agreeing with the parent on the first part and simply disagreeing with the parent, without any evidence, on the second part.
- glenneroo 7y ago
  I understood GP's comment to mean that modern medicine and civilization are the reason for both parts.
Amezarak 7y ago
The effect of modern medicine is actually mostly muted in the data, excluding infant mortality, because of other factors (diet, fitness, environment.) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672390/ Between 1850-1880, life expectancy in England was as long or longer than it is now. This predates antibiotics and nearly all vaccines, let alone what we today think of as advanced medical care.

Retric 7y ago

Civilization has done quite a bit. Violence, starvation, even predation used to be far more common issues. Modern medicine and in many ways hygiene has removed many diseases like cholera, typhoid, smallpox, tuberculosis, and malaria from huge swaths of the global population. By one estimate Malaria alone has killed 50 Billion people throughout human history.