title: The evolution of the patterning of human lactation: a comparative perspective.
abstract: Some four decades ago, Jeanne Altmann started her detailed field studies of baboon mothers and their infants with a focus on the behavioral ecology of maternal reproductive investment. Around the same time, Sarah Hrdy studied langur mothers and their infants, focusing on the influence of the social environment on a female's reproductive options and decisions. Their pioneering work has inspired many subsequent studies of female primate reproduction in its natural context and shaped our own work on primate mothers.
authors.affiliation: Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Van Noordwijk
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kuzawa
authors.forename: Carel P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Van Schaik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D051079:Catarrhini / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: cooperative breeding; food processing; life history; provisioning; weaning