On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:06:15 -0500, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I found the following excerpt in "The Nature of Paleolithic Art" by R.  
> Dale Guthrie.  It follows a discussion of paleo life expectancy, that  
> only 4% of people lived past age 40.
>

This mistake keeps showing up.

Palelodiet is based partly on the observation that the bones of paleoman  
were perfectly formed, and show NO signs of disease, and very rarely any  
injury.

Modern dating of age-at-death past maturity (~32) is done AFAIK by looking  
at the marks of disease on bones. We all (neolithic man) have them.

If it's true that paleoman had no signs of disease, then it is impossible  
to estimate lifespan. We may as well believe the Sumerian story of a  
quarter million years.

William