Prompt Cast
The History and Factors Behind the Increase in Human Life Expectancy
TLDR Human life expectancies have significantly increased over time due to factors such as improved sanitation, the development of vaccines and antibiotics, better living conditions, and advancements in medical care and pharmaceuticals. These improvements have compressed the gap between life expectancy and the possible human lifespan, resulting in the best odds ever of living a long, healthy, and productive life.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Human life expectancies are at an all-time high, and this episode explores the history and factors that have contributed to this improvement.
02:16
The average life expectancy in the Paleolithic Era was about 25 to 30 years, but this doesn't mean that 25-year-olds were equivalent to 85-year-olds today, as a large number of children never reached adulthood.
04:23
Paleolithic people faced high rates of homicide, the constant threat of starvation, and the presence of parasites and infections, but likely did not suffer from communicable diseases.
06:24
The rise of agriculture did not result in a significant increase in average human life expectancy, but it did shift the threats and dangers that humans faced.
08:21
Life expectancies remained low and relatively unchanged for thousands of years until the 20th century, when there was a dramatic increase in global average life expectancy.
10:32
The increase in life expectancy was due to a combination of factors including improved sanitation, the development of the germ theory of disease, better living conditions, and the development of vaccines.
12:32
Advancements in vaccines, antibiotics, food production, decreased violence, energy usage, improved medical care, and pharmaceuticals have all contributed to a compression of the gap between life expectancy and the possible human lifespan, resulting in the best odds ever of living a long, healthy, and productive life.
