Levy Stephanie B, Bribiescas Richard G
Department of Anthropology, CUNY Hunter College, New York, New York, USA.
New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA.
Evol Anthropol. 2023 Oct;32(5):275-292. doi: 10.1002/evan.22000. Epub 2023 Aug 16.
The evolution of human life history characteristics required dramatic shifts in energy allocation mechanisms compared with our primate ancestors. Thyroid hormones, such as thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), are sensitive to energy balance, and are significant determinants for both tissue-specific and whole-body metabolic rate. Thus, thyroid hormones are in part responsible for setting the body's overall energy budget and likely played an important role in the evolution of human life history patterns. We propose that the dynamics of mammalian T3 production, uptake, and action have evolved so that energy allocation prioritizes the high demands of brain development and functioning, often at the expense of growth and reproduction. This paper explores the role of thyroid hormone dynamics in the evolution of human encephalization, prolonged childhood and adolescence, long lifespans, reproduction, and human aging.
与我们的灵长类祖先相比，人类生命史特征的演变需要能量分配机制发生巨大转变。甲状腺激素，如甲状腺素（T4）和三碘甲状腺原氨酸（T3），对能量平衡敏感，是组织特异性和全身代谢率的重要决定因素。因此，甲状腺激素在一定程度上负责设定身体的整体能量预算，并且可能在人类生命史模式的演变中发挥了重要作用。我们提出，哺乳动物T3的产生、摄取和作用的动态过程已经进化，以便能量分配优先满足大脑发育和功能的高需求，而这通常是以生长和繁殖为代价的。本文探讨了甲状腺激素动态变化在人类脑化、延长的童年和青春期、长寿、繁殖以及人类衰老演变中的作用。
