Karen Rosenberg | University of Delaware (original) (raw)

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Papers by Karen Rosenberg

Research paper thumbnail of Paleoanthropology

The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology

Research paper thumbnail of COSTLY AND CUTE: HELPLESS INFANTS AND HUMAN EVOLUTION Edited by Wenda R.TrevathanKaren R.RosenbergAlbuquerqueUniversity of New Mexico Press. 2016. 328 pp. $49.95 (paperback)

American Journal of Human Biology, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of L'évolution de l'enfantement

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction: The evolutionary and biocultural causes and consequences of rising cesarean birth rates

American Journal of Human Biology, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Evolutionary perspectives on cesarean section

Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 2018

Cesarean section (surgical removal of a neonate through the maternal abdominal and uterine walls)... more Cesarean section (surgical removal of a neonate through the maternal abdominal and uterine walls) can be a life-saving medical intervention for both mothers and their newborns when vaginal delivery through the birth canal is impossible or dangerous. In recent years however, the rates of cesarean sections have increased in many countries far beyond the level of 10-15% recommended as optimal by the World Health Organization. These 'excess' cesarean sections carry a number of risks to both mothers and infants including complication from surgery for the mother and respiratory and immunological problems later in life for the infants. We argue that an evolutionary perspective on human childbirth suggests that many of these 'unnecessary' cesarean sections could be avoided if we considered the emotionally supportive social context in which childbirth has taken place for hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of years of human evolution. The insight that human childbirth is usually a cooperative, even social event in which women are attended by familiar, supportive family and friends suggests that the harsh clinical environment in which women often give birth in the developed world is not the best setting for dealing with the strong emotional forces that usually accompany labor and delivery. We argue that providing a secure, supportive environment for laboring mothers can reduce the rate of 'unnecessary' surgical deliveries.

Research paper thumbnail of Der Kaiserschnitt aus entwick-lungsgeschichtlicher Sicht

Research paper thumbnail of Are human infants altricial?

Research paper thumbnail of A River Runs through It

The Origins of Modern Humans, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of A Re-Examination of the Island Field Site (7K-F-17), Kent County, Delaware

Page 1. ARCHAEOLOGY OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA 145 A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE ISLAND FIELD SITE (7K-F-... more Page 1. ARCHAEOLOGY OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA 145 A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE ISLAND FIELD SITE (7K-F-17), KENT COUNTY, DELAWARE Jay F. Custer, Karen R. Rosenberg, Glenn Mellin, and Arthur Washburn ...

Research paper thumbnail of A time to be born: Why does human pregnancy last nine months?

Research paper thumbnail of 出産の進化 (人間性の進化--700 万年の軌跡をたどる)--(第 1 章 アウストラロピテクスの仲間たち 人間性の芽生え)

Research paper thumbnail of Infant helplessness in the human fossil record from ape to Mann

Research paper thumbnail of The Functional-Significance of Neanderthal Pubic Morphology

Research paper thumbnail of The Evolution of Human Birth

Scientific American, 2001

Research paper thumbnail of Morphological Variation in West Asian Postcrania

Neandertals and Modern Humans in Western Asia

Page 1. 23 MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN WEST ASIAN POSTCRANIA Implications for Obstetric and Locomo... more Page 1. 23 MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN WEST ASIAN POSTCRANIA Implications for Obstetric and Locomotor Behavior Karen R. Rosenberg Department of Anthropology University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 19716 1. INTRODUCTION ...

Research paper thumbnail of The evolution of modern human diversity

Endeavour, 1997

Exactly how modern humans evolved is a subject of intense debate. This book deals with the evolut... more Exactly how modern humans evolved is a subject of intense debate. This book deals with the evolution of modern humans from an archaic ancestor and the differentiation of modern populations from each other. The first section of the book investigates whether modern populations arose from regional archaeic hominin groups that were already different from each other, and argues that, in fact, most lines of evidence support a single, recent origin of modern humans in Africa. The book then goes on to examine ways in which this diversification could have occurred, given what we know from fossils, archaeological remains and the relationships of existing populations today.

Research paper thumbnail of Smoking, weight standards and “ideal” weight

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1985

Research paper thumbnail of Relationship between fatness level and size attainment in Central America

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1983

As shown in 15,085 individuals from six Central American countries, the level of fatness is relat... more As shown in 15,085 individuals from six Central American countries, the level of fatness is related to size attainment not only during the growing period but also during adulthood. The fatness effect, manifest in all six Central American countries, tends to be higher in females than in males and bears a hierarchical relationship to the extent of impoverishment and undernutrition among the countries considered. The effect of fatness level on size attainment is parallelled by hematologic measures, serum and urinary vitamins and serum cholesterol, indicating a nutritional origin rather than energy balance alone.

Research paper thumbnail of Menarcheal timing and the long‐term persistence of fatness levels

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1979

Page 1. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 1979, Vol. 8, pp. 1-2 • Gordon and Breach Science Publisher... more Page 1. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 1979, Vol. 8, pp. 1-2 • Gordon and Breach Science Publishers Ltd., 1979 Printed in Great Britain MENARCHEAL TIMING AND THE LONG-TERM PERSISTENCE OF FATNESS LEVELS ...

Research paper thumbnail of Definitive quantification of the smoking effect on birthweight

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1986

As shown in 45,522 liveborn singletons, the decrease in birthweight associated with maternal smok... more As shown in 45,522 liveborn singletons, the decrease in birthweight associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy may be stated as 5.4 gm/cigarette/day in whites and 2.3 gm/cigarette/day in blacks. If confounding variables such as maternal weight and pregnancy weight gains are factored out, the apparent effects of cigarette smoking alone are reduced by no more than 17 %. New values for birthweights of the progency of nonsmoking mothers still reveal a difference between blacks and whites of 267 gm for boys and 261 gm for girls.

Research paper thumbnail of Paleoanthropology

The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology

Research paper thumbnail of COSTLY AND CUTE: HELPLESS INFANTS AND HUMAN EVOLUTION Edited by Wenda R.TrevathanKaren R.RosenbergAlbuquerqueUniversity of New Mexico Press. 2016. 328 pp. $49.95 (paperback)

American Journal of Human Biology, 2017

Research paper thumbnail of L'évolution de l'enfantement

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction: The evolutionary and biocultural causes and consequences of rising cesarean birth rates

American Journal of Human Biology, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Evolutionary perspectives on cesarean section

Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 2018

Cesarean section (surgical removal of a neonate through the maternal abdominal and uterine walls)... more Cesarean section (surgical removal of a neonate through the maternal abdominal and uterine walls) can be a life-saving medical intervention for both mothers and their newborns when vaginal delivery through the birth canal is impossible or dangerous. In recent years however, the rates of cesarean sections have increased in many countries far beyond the level of 10-15% recommended as optimal by the World Health Organization. These 'excess' cesarean sections carry a number of risks to both mothers and infants including complication from surgery for the mother and respiratory and immunological problems later in life for the infants. We argue that an evolutionary perspective on human childbirth suggests that many of these 'unnecessary' cesarean sections could be avoided if we considered the emotionally supportive social context in which childbirth has taken place for hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of years of human evolution. The insight that human childbirth is usually a cooperative, even social event in which women are attended by familiar, supportive family and friends suggests that the harsh clinical environment in which women often give birth in the developed world is not the best setting for dealing with the strong emotional forces that usually accompany labor and delivery. We argue that providing a secure, supportive environment for laboring mothers can reduce the rate of 'unnecessary' surgical deliveries.

Research paper thumbnail of Der Kaiserschnitt aus entwick-lungsgeschichtlicher Sicht

Research paper thumbnail of Are human infants altricial?

Research paper thumbnail of A River Runs through It

The Origins of Modern Humans, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of A Re-Examination of the Island Field Site (7K-F-17), Kent County, Delaware

Page 1. ARCHAEOLOGY OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA 145 A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE ISLAND FIELD SITE (7K-F-... more Page 1. ARCHAEOLOGY OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA 145 A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE ISLAND FIELD SITE (7K-F-17), KENT COUNTY, DELAWARE Jay F. Custer, Karen R. Rosenberg, Glenn Mellin, and Arthur Washburn ...

Research paper thumbnail of A time to be born: Why does human pregnancy last nine months?

Research paper thumbnail of 出産の進化 (人間性の進化--700 万年の軌跡をたどる)--(第 1 章 アウストラロピテクスの仲間たち 人間性の芽生え)

Research paper thumbnail of Infant helplessness in the human fossil record from ape to Mann

Research paper thumbnail of The Functional-Significance of Neanderthal Pubic Morphology

Research paper thumbnail of The Evolution of Human Birth

Scientific American, 2001

Research paper thumbnail of Morphological Variation in West Asian Postcrania

Neandertals and Modern Humans in Western Asia

Page 1. 23 MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN WEST ASIAN POSTCRANIA Implications for Obstetric and Locomo... more Page 1. 23 MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN WEST ASIAN POSTCRANIA Implications for Obstetric and Locomotor Behavior Karen R. Rosenberg Department of Anthropology University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 19716 1. INTRODUCTION ...

Research paper thumbnail of The evolution of modern human diversity

Endeavour, 1997

Exactly how modern humans evolved is a subject of intense debate. This book deals with the evolut... more Exactly how modern humans evolved is a subject of intense debate. This book deals with the evolution of modern humans from an archaic ancestor and the differentiation of modern populations from each other. The first section of the book investigates whether modern populations arose from regional archaeic hominin groups that were already different from each other, and argues that, in fact, most lines of evidence support a single, recent origin of modern humans in Africa. The book then goes on to examine ways in which this diversification could have occurred, given what we know from fossils, archaeological remains and the relationships of existing populations today.

Research paper thumbnail of Smoking, weight standards and “ideal” weight

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1985

Research paper thumbnail of Relationship between fatness level and size attainment in Central America

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1983

As shown in 15,085 individuals from six Central American countries, the level of fatness is relat... more As shown in 15,085 individuals from six Central American countries, the level of fatness is related to size attainment not only during the growing period but also during adulthood. The fatness effect, manifest in all six Central American countries, tends to be higher in females than in males and bears a hierarchical relationship to the extent of impoverishment and undernutrition among the countries considered. The effect of fatness level on size attainment is parallelled by hematologic measures, serum and urinary vitamins and serum cholesterol, indicating a nutritional origin rather than energy balance alone.

Research paper thumbnail of Menarcheal timing and the long‐term persistence of fatness levels

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1979

Page 1. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 1979, Vol. 8, pp. 1-2 • Gordon and Breach Science Publisher... more Page 1. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 1979, Vol. 8, pp. 1-2 • Gordon and Breach Science Publishers Ltd., 1979 Printed in Great Britain MENARCHEAL TIMING AND THE LONG-TERM PERSISTENCE OF FATNESS LEVELS ...

Research paper thumbnail of Definitive quantification of the smoking effect on birthweight

Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 1986

As shown in 45,522 liveborn singletons, the decrease in birthweight associated with maternal smok... more As shown in 45,522 liveborn singletons, the decrease in birthweight associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy may be stated as 5.4 gm/cigarette/day in whites and 2.3 gm/cigarette/day in blacks. If confounding variables such as maternal weight and pregnancy weight gains are factored out, the apparent effects of cigarette smoking alone are reduced by no more than 17 %. New values for birthweights of the progency of nonsmoking mothers still reveal a difference between blacks and whites of 267 gm for boys and 261 gm for girls.