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[MetalSlimeHunt]

Is anyone concerned by that? From then to now, the age where puberty begins has dropped like a rock. This decent hasn't been all at once either. Various countries begain to exhibit this at various times, but the longer it took to start, the more extreme the shift was at the start untill it stablized. And now, CNN did a "report" (It's rather bland) on some girls begining puberty at age 7. Before the drop began, the standard (there was and still is variation between national groups and races) for girls was 18. The drop for boys was less extreme, but it was still 15-18 in most areas, now 10-13. Could this become a problem in the future? Could it be a problem now? Here is the wikipedia article on puberty variations for anyone interested.

[ToonyMan]

I think that sounds awesome, deep voiced 12 year olds?  Siiiick.

[smjjames]

Better nutrition and stuff could have been part of the early stuff.

One thing though, what about the developing (third world) countries? Looks like the study was only done on the industrialized west and in Japan.

It needs more references and data IMO. Also, there was an article on discovery news a while ago, maybe I'll dig it up.

Edit2: Here

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I found a few amature articles that claim girls still begin puberty at around age 15 in the third world, but no scientific studies to back it up. All that google gives me is: "American children hitting puberty earlier.", "Obesity on the rise, pubecent age on the decline!", and "Black girls hit puberty first." Absolutely nothing on the third world.

[smjjames]

Yea, gotta have a control group. Although it would be hard to get to the ideal control group who are usually those deep in the jungles or otherwise remote places. The next best would probably be the poor rural people around the world.

[Aqizzar]

Better nutrition and stuff could have been part of the early stuff.

One thing though, what about the developing (third world) countries? Looks like the study was only done on the industrialized west and in Japan.

I'm betting it's exactly this.  Look at parts of the world were starvation is rampant.  Malnourished people can reach 20 years old and look 14.  Girls who are badly malnourished as children can hit puberty half-on and wind up sterile.  If people in the developed parts of the world are physically growing up faster, it's because they have a much better diet than anyone alive in 1840.

"Better" being always a relative term.  If this trend continues, by 2030 the American race will be a people born as spherical adolescent blobs.  We must take action.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

And what action will that be? Blow up food production so half the world starves to death in a plot ripped straght from the Neo-Malthusians in Hydrophobia?

[smjjames]

O.o Heres a wierd one straight out from China, seriously, China is pretty fucked up these days. They are pratically a laboratory for the effects of strange chemicals on people.

I guess its more proof that hormones in our food is a smoking gun here. And I say A smoking gun since theres always many, many different factors involved.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

This is a country that is slowly running out of women, due to the one child law and the murder of female infants because all the parents want boys. "Fucked up" does not even begin to discribe China.

[smjjames]

This is a country who is slowly running out of women, due to the one child law and the murder of female infants because all the parents want boys. "Fucked up" does not even begin to discribe China.

Well, they DO have a massive population issue and I believe that they have had a huge population compared to other parts of the world at different points in history. It was in the last century or two that the population really exploded, and their culture is getting in the way.

AND we have to wait a human lifetime before we see any major population drop there (barring some major catastrophe or war). Its one giant social experiment all right.

[Dakk]

Keep in mind the puberty aspect works very different for girls then for boys. A well nourished boy that practices sport or exercises regulary will look younger but hit puberty normaly. Girls largely depend on hormones (even more so then boys) to develop me thinks, and nourishment plays a pivotal role in how much hormones you can produce (along with genes of course).
I believe I've pretty well nourished throughout me life and I exercise regulary, and me doctor(s) aways say I have the body of a teen, and I'm 20. I've met people my age who look alot, ALOT older.

Given the fact that girls aren't relegated to secondary roles anymore, get more attention from their parents and so get better nourishment, plus the fact nourishment and hormones have a greater effect on them, its only natural that they hit puberty much faster then boys. Its getting scary though, while boys today are definitely hitting puberty earlier, girls are hitting it much earlier. I've met girls around 10 and 12 that look like 16 year old girls.
If you look at old pictures of young girls that age they barely have any resemblance with today's girls of that age.

And yea, China is a pretty weird country, but thats mainly because they're leaving the rural state phase behind and going towards full fledged world power really really fast. Old customs are still around, and now that the country has opened itself to the word we can see the clash of the old customs VS globalization. Hell, there are several ongoing investigations in certain areas of china to stop the commercialization of aborted foetuses, because according to an old chinese custom, eating foetuses makes you younger and beautiful. Want another one? Eating placenta is even more common in large areas of china, they believe it is great for the skin and makes your children strong if you feed it to them.

I'm not joking, look it up.

@smjjames: Its not that they do it for population control. For thousands of years baby boys were aways much more valued by chinese family then girls. A family that gives birth to a girl will even sell the baby to richer couples that cannot have children, and keep doing so untill they bear a son. This is because the chinese society is largely patriarchal and only boys can inherit the family's belongings.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Yeah, but the first world puts placenta in cosmetics. I assure you, they would think we were totaly off our rockers if they knew about that.

[Dakk]

But we use animal placenta, its totally different! 
But yea, eating babies, etc.

[Josephus]

Yeah, but the first world puts placenta in cosmetics. I assure you, they would think we were totaly off our rockers if they knew about that.

You people are totally off your rockers. Now hush up, I'm going to go murder some female infants and eat snakes and babies and shit.

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

and eat snakes and babies and shit.

All at once?