Children & Teenagers

Evolution of specifically human periods of life – extended childhood and adolescence is discussed in the context of the entire process of reproduction. The essential characteristic of life is transfer of information from one generation to the next. Material structure of living things undergoes constant flux – old molecules are shed and new molecules are incorporated into cells – but the arrangement of parts of organisms remains largely the same, they contain the same information. Information is defined here as a particular arrangement of things. Such arrangement may remain the same even when actual objects are exchanged. Since individuals are perishable, the only way to maintain continuity of life is by passing information about organism’s structure to newly produced individuals – the offspring. This process of reproduction commonly involves sexual combination of genetic information. The evolution of human sexuality with its hormonal regulation is discussed and biological foundations of human love and other complex emotions are suggested.

Keywords: Adolescence, Amenorrhea, Childhood, Fecundity, Genetic information, Menarche, Ovulatory crypsis, Reproduction, Sexual behavior.