Fogel R W, Costa D L
University of Chicago, National Bureau of Economic Research, IL 60637, USA.
Demography. 1997 Feb;34(1):49-66.
We argue that over the past 300 years human physiology has been undergoing profound environmentally induced changes made possible by numerous advances in technology. These changes, which we call technophysio evolution, increased body size by over 50%, and greatly improved the robustness and capacity of vital organ systems. Because technophysio evolution is still ongoing, it is relevant to forecasts of longevity and morbidity and, therefore, to forecasts of the size of the elderly population and pension and health care costs.
我们认为，在过去300年里，人类生理机能一直在经历由技术的诸多进步所带来的、深刻的环境诱发变化。这些变化，我们称之为技术生理进化，使体型增大了50%以上，并极大地提高了重要器官系统的强健性和功能。由于技术生理进化仍在继续，它与长寿和发病率的预测相关，因此也与老年人口规模以及养老金和医疗保健成本的预测相关。
