How do you know when an Ice Age teen hits puberty? You can see it in their bones.
A research group for the first time applied a technique initially developed for contemporary clinical observations to Paleolithic fossils. They reported in the Journal of Human Evolution that Ice Age teens experienced the same physiological changes as contemporary young adolescents at roughly the same time.
The scientists studied the bones of 13 ancient humans between 10 and 20 years old from the Pleistocene Era, about 25,000 years ago. One, named Romito 2, a male adolescent with a form of dwarfism, probably had a deeper voice, fine facial hair, and could father children.
The technique, developed by Mary Lewis from University of Reading, analyzed mineralization of the canine teeth, and examined maturation of the bones of the hand, elbow, wrist, neck, and pelvis. It then identified the stage of puberty that an individual ...
