Human Life Cycle: Characteristics, Genetic Features, Sample Questions

Humans are members of the genus Homo and the family Hominidae, culture-bearing organisms. Humans' physical appearance is comparable to that of apes. Two arms and legs, as well as a head and neck linked to the torso, make up the human body. Human body is shaped by a strong skeleton consisting of bone and cartilage, covered by fat, muscle, organs, tissue, and other bodily parts. Cognitive ability has become similar between humans and ancient apes since these apes have significant cognitive capacities previously thought to be unknown to humans.

Read Also: Haplontic Life Cycle

Key Terms: Human Evolution, Apes, Fetus, Zygote, Fertilization, Gametes, Cartilage

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Life Cycle of Human

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The life cycle of humans is divided into different stages. Below is a detailed explanation of every stage.

Check Important Notes for Invertebrates

Foetus

Inside the female's uterus, sperm from an adult male human and an egg from an adult female human produce a zygote. The zygote grows and develops into an embryo throughout time. The embryo seems to be a cluster of cells at first, but after eight weeks, it resembles a human body and is known as a foetus. During this stage, the developing embryo is referred to as a foetus. The foetus is dependent on the female for breathing, eating, and other nutrients during this stage.3

Baby

The foetus is fully formed and ready to be born after about nine months. The period from birth to age one is known as this stage in human development. Infants increase in size and shape during infancy, which is the first stage of childhood. Infant requires a lot of attention at this point because they are completely reliant on their mothers. Infants' behavior, physiology, and cognition all develop. If they are in an uncomfortable situation, the infants gradually learn to suck, swallow, and cry. Crying is the infants' way of communicating because they are unable to speak. During this stage, the mother is more likely to breastfeed her child.

Childhood: This can be divided into three sub-stages among the different stages of human life, namely:

Toddler: It is a child who is between the ages of 1-3 years old and is still a baby. A youngster learns to crawl, walk, talk, run, jump, identify objects, and start to eat on their own slowly.

Preschooler: This is the age of 3 to 5 years where the child started to go to preschool started talking and writing things. The ability of identification also enhance a lot. He starts making friends in school. 

Primary School Kid: It's a kid who's between the ages of 5 and 12. A youngster or primary schooler has developed good muscle control and coordination, eye-hand coordination, personal habits, thinking patterns, safety awareness, and personal habits and choices at this stage.

Read More: Ant Life Cycle

Adolescence

During adolescence, the child develops into an adolescent during a phase known as puberty. Puberty normally occurs during a child's adolescent years, between the ages of 13 and 19. Adolescents are also referred to as teenagers. During puberty, the body undergoes significant growth and changes. These include changes in body structure, the growth of hair on some places of the body (for example, boys grow hair on their faces), and the deepening and roughening of boys' voices. Similarly, as teenagers become more independent in their day-to-day activities, their behavior patterns and attitudes will shift.

Adulthood

Even though the years eighteen and nineteen end in 'teen,' people of this age are already adults. Between the ages of 18 and 39, the human body reaches its optimum fitness and strength. There is still some development, although not in terms of height. Adults are normally self-sufficient and live in their own homes. Most people work full-time jobs to pay for their food, bills, and other purchases, and they earn experience and responsibility in the process. By this age, adults have reached the pinnacle of their cerebral and social development. Adults can also have their children!

Elderly

By the time they reach the age of 67, most people have worked hard their entire lives and accumulated enough money to retire (stop working). Elderly folks are not as powerful as they once were, and they tire out more quickly. They can, however, have fun and stay active. They will be grandparents if their children have children. The behavior of elderly persons in this stage differs based on the individual's immunity and lifestyle. The typical human life expectancy ranges from 70 to 85 years. However, this varies depending on their way of living.

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Characteristic Developmental Features

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Developmental period exhibits unique characteristics of internal growth and external social skills at each of the six stages of the human life cycle. These are as follows:

Neonatal stage

1. A baby born adjusts to the outer environment throughout the first several weeks of life. The neonate's head is significantly larger than the rest of its body. The rest of the body is small, delicate, and velvety.
2. During this brief phase, the newborn spends most of its time sleeping, interrupted only by brief waking intervals (typically every 2-3 hours) for any pain or feeding.
3. They have undeveloped organ systems and lack neuromuscular control. Because of their delicate bodies and lack of defense mechanisms, neonates must be closely protected at this point.
4. They are extremely susceptible to infections, and poor diet or unsanitary environments can quickly increase their vulnerability.

Infancy period

1. One of the most rapid times of growth in the human life cycle comes at this stage.
2. The pace of neuromuscular development increases as metabolic activity rises. The infant learns muscle control and exhibits a variety of body motions, including eye movement, swallowing, smiling, moving arms and legs, and so on.
3. The youngster learns to sit during this time and subsequently begins crawling, creeping, standing, and eventually walking (first with support and then on its own).
4. They also demonstrate psychological growth. They can distinguish between family members and strangers. Withdrawal from unfamiliar people, places, and things in common.
5. Finally, the concept of "Object Permanence" is introduced (that is, objects do exist even after they are removed from immediate view sight).

Childhood period

1. The years of childhood are separated into two categories: early childhood and late childhood. The pace of growth slows slightly throughout this period of transition from childhood to adulthood. The child's height and weight are now mostly measured about one another.
2. The child moves away from solitary play and seeks out companionship with other children his or her age. They frequently engage in cooperative play and like imitating people's actions.
3. Their language grows, and they become more curious, asking a lot of questions to their caregivers. They also seek the active approval of their parents and other adults.

Adolescence

1. This is yet another time of fast growth. They'll grow to their adult height. By the time they reach menarche, most girls have reached their maximum height.
2. Both boys and females develop secondary sexual features.
3. Adolescents go through a psychological stage of an identity crisis, during which they actively seek their life's purpose and form thoughts and beliefs about who they are. Individuality, as well as approval and belonging to a peer group, are important to them.
4. Moral and psychosocial development occur, and timely counseling is required to understand and appreciate this development.

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Adulthood

1. The adolescent has grown into a full-grown adult. There is a significant difference in their views of themselves and the world around them.
2. They are now establishing themselves through their professions and interactions with other people.
3. They are now looking for a marriage partner, to start a family, and to gain social standing.

Old age 

1. Several body functions gradually deteriorate.
2. The adult has either entirely or partially withdrawn from social responsibilities and challenges. They, on the other hand, take pleasure in assisting their offspring by co-parenting their grandchildren.
3. Sometimes they get frustrated because cant able to do things on their own which they usually do in their adulthood. They also feel left out because of a lack of work.
4. As one's health deteriorates, he or she may develop a variety of metabolic problems.
5. They turn to the younger generation or divine activities for solace (prayers, pilgrimage, etc.).

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Things to Remember 

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• Girls grow faster than boys at the age of 9 or 10. Both males and girls demonstrate distinct interests in their late childhood, which may have been common in earlier periods.
• The most active stage of human life is between 18 to 35. In this stage, a human can do anything which he wants.
• In old age, many physical changes and psychological changes occur and due to this time, it feels that the man is completely changed.
• The best stage to build any habit is the childhood stage because it is the most vulnerable stage and building habits in that stage is very easy.

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