Desert Eagle Posted October 10, 2014 i heard that in the past people used to live much longer and were taller. that this was because the atmosphere was different, it had 30-35% oxygen as oppose to todays 22-24% and lower in more polluted less green areas. also the atmosphere had a water vapor layer that helped block the sun radiation. this is why i will fill my living space and work place with plants and get an oxygen machine for home. as for the radiation, better to be in a place with more cloud cover or plants to take the direct sunlight. https://soundcloud.com/dark-weekend/dr-aubrey-de-grey-discusses google search: oxygen concentrator. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CloudHands Posted October 10, 2014 My friend you should not believe everything you hear. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dust Posted October 10, 2014 (edited) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy#Life_expectancy_variation_over_time Pretty sure we're living longer now. Not sure this newfound longevity is the wonderful achievement we make it out to be. edit: Of course, I wouldn't suggest that plants and oxygen are a bad thing. Looking at Beijing today, I appreciate the wonderful oxygen-filled air of my current home. Edited October 10, 2014 by dustybeijing 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted October 10, 2014 Yes, we are living longer now and we are taller now than in the past. The oxygen thing goes back to the dinosaurs and I don't believe we were around then. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enishi Posted October 11, 2014 (edited) Hunter gatherers were taller and less subject to degenerative diseases than the early agricultural hierarchical societies who replaced them. They didn't necessarily live longer though given the array of physical hazards they faced, along with the dangers of infectious diseases. Overall I'd say we live longer on average than either group (not sure about height). Edited October 11, 2014 by Enishi 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted October 11, 2014 Hunter gatherers were taller and less subject to degenerative diseases than the early agricultural hierarchical societies who replaced them. They didn't necessarily live longer though given the array of physical hazards they faced, along with the dangers of infectious diseases. I don't have the knowledge to support this but it sounds rather logical to me. And it would likely be proven valid if researched. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted October 12, 2014 My friend you should not believe everything you hear. yup, I only believe things that earn the right to be printed on the internet From what I studied a while ago we are healthier and taller then we were ingeneral the last thousand or two years or so. Course they're always outliers. Past a couple thousand year, its possible you're right. As long as there is sufficient food, genetics tends to move in the direction of sexual attractiveness, thus (maybe) we're seeing a slow trend towards taller men.. maybe bustier woman too?? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CloudHands Posted October 12, 2014 yup, I only believe things that earn the right to be printed on the internet No sir INTERNET is not reliable, but everything on TV is certified by governments. If they were taller humans before we became sedentary there must be some skeletons found, there is none to my knowledge but I'm all eyes, show me : ). Actually fasten was so current for our ancestors it's included in our genes : our metabolism moves up to another rhythm that stimulate our immune system. There are cures based on fast with pretty good results. I'm sorry franco-german channel so it's french audio no sub if you are interested digg it yourself. BTW fasten is a pattern in almost every religion/spirituality taoism included. If we used to fast, we couldnt be taller... I like spoilers but is amazing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallum Posted October 12, 2014 According to a couple of Jehovah's witnesses that popped in to tell me about Jesus (or something) the other week, in the era of the bible, we all lived to be several hundred years old. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity_myths However, from the skeletal fossil record, I believe that we have been gradually getting taller, and walking more upright for some tens of thousands of years. I think we are living longer in this century than we have in the past, but that generalisation may be restricted to anglo-saxon genotypes, as some asiatic peoples have a history of longer longevity, possibly due to diet choices and advanced medicinal practices (relative to anglo-saxons at the time). 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
i am Posted October 12, 2014 There's a difference between living longer and an older "average life expectancy". From what I remember, the oldest age at which people are dying is no older than it has ever been. Some people lived to 110 way back then, and some do now. What has changed is the amount of people living past, say...their first birthday. Then their first couple years. Then their teenage years. Advances is medicine, understanding, and insulating ourselves from predators has allowed more people to reach an older age. So that bumps up the average. If the one guy/gal living to 110 in a village gets his age averaged with a bunch of infant mortality ages, and other people who died of disease, the average life expectancy is pretty low. Now that the 110's are getting averaged with more and more 40's, 50's, 60's 70's 80's, the average is going up. So in one sense everyone is right. People are living longer. But it's not like the oldest anyone lived 1,000 years ago or more was 30, and now it's over 100. The oldest people are living the same length as they ever have. I think the same goes for height. The people who were living in Chaco canyon and Mesa Verde were short. Really short. Their descendants are much taller now. But there were really tall people way back when, in some cultures. But in general, everyone is living longer, and is taller than in the past. Especially in the last few decades. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted October 12, 2014 However, from the skeletal fossil record, I believe that we have been gradually getting taller, and walking more upright for some tens of thousands of years. It's more like about 4 million years but what you said is good too. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted October 12, 2014 Well, today I have lived longer than I did yesterday. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted October 12, 2014 You've done your homework. I still like to use 4 million years even though the oldest fossil goes back only 3.2 million years. I think that homo sapien go back to 400K, also referred to as "modern humans" but 200K is fair as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soaring crane Posted October 12, 2014 Living long isn't the same thing as extended lifespan. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallum Posted October 20, 2014 Thanks guys, I was being lazy and didn't want to google the bits I'd forgotten. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
