ABSTRACT
Features of human life history—some of which are shared among placental mammals and some that are specific to apes or to just humans—affect our health. We begin with the unusual Prader–Willi syndrome, which like its counterpart, Angelman syndrome, is an exception to the rules of Mendelian genetics. In these parent-of-origin disorders, the parent from whom the mutation arose is essential. These disorders, which are failure of genomic imprinting, also illustrate the tug of war that goes on between the maternal and paternal genes. Preeclampsia and some cancers are also consequences of this tug of war. We discuss the interaction between the hormone progesterone and its receptor, a relationship that has evolved since humans diverged from chimpanzees. We also discuss new work that shows that human gestation duration is constrained not by anatomy but rather metabolic limits. We discuss the likely causes of menopause, including the grandmother hypothesis. Finally, we examine male-biased evolution, a consequence of the differences between oogenesis and spermatogenesis.
