Community | January 10, 2011 | 27 comments

Homo sapiens is entering uncharted territory

source: http://io9.com/5729725/why-this-decade-marks-a-new-stage-in-human-evolution

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pjacobs51
On New Year's Day, the giant population bump known as the baby boom started turning 65. By the decade's end, more humans will be over 65 than under 5. Homo sapiens is entering uncharted territory. What will happen?


Over at the health research site Tracker, there's a terrific roundup of news and research about what comes next for humanity. Editor J.A. Ginsburg sums up:

Globally, the median age is 28, meaning there are just as many people older than that as younger. In less than a decade, there will be more people over 65 than under the age of 5. By 2045, there will be more people over 60 than children, period . . . demographers predict there were be 3.2 million centenarians in the world by 2050, a more than 6-fold increase from the current numbers.


What happens to a species whose least-reproductive members are dominating the population? Does humanity grow more wise in its ways?


Possibly over time, an aging population will make public policies more far-sighted, but in the immediate short term we're going to see a health crisis followed by an economic one. Ginsburg writes:

The rates of age-related chronic illnesses-diabetes (exacerbated by an obesity epidemic), cancer, impaired vision and dementias-are spiking upwards with no end in sight. Beyond the incalculable heartbreak, the economics are staggering. According to a new study released by Alzheimer's Disease International, "the worldwide costs of dementia will exceed 1% of global GDP in 2010, at US$604 billion."


Even diseases that don't affect the elderly directly can have a tremendous impact on them. Pandemic influenza, for example, usually takes its biggest toll on adults in the prime-of-life. But since those people are also the caregivers, their loss can easily cascade into another round of tragedy.

Although the problem is one of demographic relativity-the ratio of old to young-the answer is not more babies. The absolute population numbers are still rising-expected to hit 9 billion by mid-century-while limited natural resources are either under siege or running low and food production barely keeps pace with demand.

Of course many of these aging people won't become ill or demented, and thanks to medical breakthroughs may remain productive workers well into their 80s. What kinds of changes will the post-65 active population bring to workplaces, politics, and culture? We're about to find out.


http://io9.com/5729725/why-this-decade-marks-a-new-stage-in-human-evolution
  1. groups:
    Community,   News and Politics,   Science,   Odd News,   5 more
  2. tags:
    Aging,  Demographics,  Baby Boomers
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27 comments // Homo sapiens is entering uncharted territory

  • XasthurNortt
  • Saladin
    • 0
      Saladin  

    • "What happens to a species whose least-reproductive members are dominating the population? Does humanity grow more wise in its ways?"

      Au contrare.

      I've not found much wisdom among the older generations in this country. Most of it comes from the 30-55 range.

      If you look for the more annoying belief systems in this country, including anti-gay bigotry, excessively pro-war attitudes, etc., they're disproportionately held by older people.

    • 1 year ago
  • pjacobs51
    • +1
      pjacobs51  
    • Saladin:

      Hmm, I'm 53 myself and I don't hold any of the beliefs you mentioned. I don't think these beliefs are restricted to certain age groups either, I'm sure you can find many examples of this way of thinking amongst the youth as well.

    • 1 year ago
  • Saladin
    • +1
      Saladin  
    • pjacobs51:

      The 30-55 range is the group I mentioned as exceptionally wise, above and below that seem to have some problems.

      You're right, people around my age do hold those beliefs, at around 30%. While people 60+ hold those beliefs 65% or above.

      That's why I said disproportionately held by older people.

      I'm not just being prejudiced here, they always do polling by age group and you can see the trends.

    • 1 year ago
  • pjacobs51
  • Saladin
    • +1
      Saladin  
    • pjacobs51:

      Haha, it's not a totality.

      But yeah, statistically, your risk of becoming one increases dramatically. You should see your doctor.

      To be serious, it's clearly a generational gap. "Baby boomers," on average, are more conservative than the generations that preceded or came after them. In that sense, it's not a question of age, but rather upbringing an life experience. Or possibly lack thereof in this case.

    • 1 year ago
  • cheshiresleeves
  • floydyboy
  • squelchy
  • floydyboy
  • cheshiresleeves
  • cheshiresleeves
  • pjacobs51
  • noxidereus
    • +3
      noxidereus  

    • The idea that someone should be a "productive worker" into their 80's sickens me! When the fuck are people supposed to live their own lives? Being a wage-slave for the rich is no life to live and sucking peoples lives away and making them labor into their 80's is fucking sick! It is the direct result of our greedy capitalistic ways!

    • 1 year ago
  • s_peak
    • +1
      s_peak  
    • noxidereus:

      We are drained of our life energy (time) for something that is only an illusion. Money has no value at all... but we erode our connections with one another for it. We kill for it, and we die for it. Very sad.

    • 1 year ago
  • good_stuff
    • 0
      good_stuff  

    • No mention of the impact that money surely has here? Assuming that the amount of money in the world is fixed (it isn't obviously, but for sake of the argument), old people are going to hold thier money while simulataneously taking it from the young via medicare/social security. I beleive this is why unemployment/uninsurance for those in their late teens and 20's is so bad and likely to get worse. We're going to need to start prioritizing healthcare based on age instead of wealth to make it over the hump and get back to more evenly distributed population levels.

    • 1 year ago
  • achromatic
    • 0
      achromatic  

    • We're quite lucky to witness the 4th stage of the domgraphic transition! The global population will peak mid-century and then comes the real show. So fascinating!!!!

    • 1 year ago
  • coolplanet
  • nhall6
  • CalPal
    • +1
      CalPal  

    • Does anyone else think that, with so many old people to care for, we might be able to find new medicinal cures for old age-related diseases like Alzheimer quicker?

      I know it's going to be bad on the health care system anywhere in the world, irregardless of what you think the best health care system is, but with so many old people, you would think doctors would find it more easy to find cures and such... I'm at least going to be hopeful for that possibility.

    • 1 year ago
  • s_peak
    • +1
      s_peak  
    • CalPal:

      Alzheimer's isn't an age related disease. It's related to, basically, having too many toxins in your body and living a sedentary lifestyle. The most notable of these toxins is aluminum. Alzheimer's didn't really exist before America. I've heard it said that Americans all have some level of aluminum toxicity. A quick google search about aluminum in the soil, and the changing PH of the soil will make you pretty sad.

      There is no medicine for greed, unfortunately... we just have to stop dumping toxins on the planet before we all rot away... but nature has always had a solution for our problems (even though we keep tearing her down for our own hubris). In this case, I recommend eating lots of cilantro. The only herb known to help remove heavy metals from the body.

      The unfortunate nature of capitalism... is that doctors don't always want cures. They want money. Cancer is a billion dollar industry, and there are several cures for it, but none of them are talked about or used because they can't turn a profit with them (google it). The true sickness comes from money.

    • 1 year ago
  • EmperorThan
  • toyotabedzrock
  • floydyboy
  • Buddha2112
  • remanns
  • toyotabedzrock
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