There are several characteristics that set our species apart from other mammals. We are the
only living or extant mammal that habitually walks on two legs. For our body size, we have …

The fossil record of the human pelvis reveals the selective priorities acting on hominin
anatomy at different points in our evolutionary history, during which mechanical …

The difficult birth process of humans, often described as the “obstetric dilemma,” is
commonly assumed to reflect antagonistic selective pressures favoring neonatal …

The term 'obstetrical dilemma'was coined by Washburn in 1960 to describe the trade‐off
between selection for a larger birth canal, permitting successful passage of a big‐brained …

The human birth canal shows a tight fit with the size of the neonate, which can lead to
obstetric complications. This is not the case in other apes, and has been explained as the …

Humans have a prolonged childhood, which begins with an immature developmental state
at birth. We take care of these helpless infants through a variety of cultural adaptations …

It has long been argued that modern human mothers give birth to proportionately larger
babies than apes do. Data presented here from human and chimpanzee infant: mother …

Obstructed labor is a common complication of human childbirth. In parts of the world where
access to emergency obstetric services is limited, obstructed labor is a major cause of …

Many mammalian species display sexual dimorphism in the pelvis, where females possess
larger dimensions of the obstetric (pelvic) canal than males. This is contrary to the general …

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 …