Steppe baboons
SPIEGEL: Ms. Archie, you are researching wild steppe baboons in Amboseli National Park in Kenya to see how deprivations in childhood make themselves felt later in life. What is the result?
Archie: Most of all, we see that baboons that have been through a lot as young die much earlier. They may live to be nine to ten years old, while those with happier childhoods can live for more than 20 years. That is a huge effect.
SPIEGEL: What is considered a difficult fate in a baboon's childhood?
Archie: That could be a drought, the death of the mother or even just a competing sibling when the baby is still suckling and needs all attention. We counted each baboon how many adversities it had encountered in the first four years of life. Then we recorded how long he stayed alive. It was found that even the offspring of mothers with a difficult childhood suffered from the consequences.
SPIEGEL: How do you explain that?
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