COLUMBUS, Ohio – The fact that human mothers have support from family while they're breast-feeding may be a key strategy that enables humans to reproduce more rapidly than other primates, new research suggests.
Social support helps mothers conserve energy in a way that allows their bodies to prepare for their next pregnancy.
"Humans out-produce other primates. So we are examining to what degree this is related to our cultural flexibility," said Barbara Piperata, assistant professor of anthropology at Ohio State University and principal investigator of the research.