[cubefox]

I wonder what stone age people did about skin cancer. Nothing, I assume.

[morsch]

Skin cancer is one of the more relatively common cancers in young people, but first diagnosis still increases sharply with age. Life expectancy at age 15 (so, without the 60% infant/child mortality) in the Paleolithic was apparently 54 years.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-...

Ihttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy

[jimbokun]

Don’t know about Stone Age, but look at the clothing worn by desert tribes. Loose fitting clothes covering arms and legs, so e kind of covering on the head.

I think the dangers of over exposure to the sun have long been known and only recent generations think shorts and T shirts in direct sun for long amounts of time is a good idea.

[bawolff]

Stone age people used sunscreen. It wasn't anywhere near as effective as modern sunscreen. Presumably they were less concerned about skin cancer and more concerned about the immediate effects of a sunburn

[armatav]

Bro what - they did not use sunscreen - where did they get titanium and zinc?

[donkers]

The History of Sunscreen

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abs...

[armatav]

Also not seeing titanium, zinc, oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, or avobenzone.

[haldujai]

Who is defining the word "sunscreen" so narrowly to these compounds?

All you are doing is listing modern formulations, some of which are not even generally regarded as safe anymore.

[armatav]

Point being that ancients did not use sunscreen or anything remotely close to the formulae we have today - what we have today was roughly defined 100 years ago and has some serious consequential effects on the endocrine system and more.

[klocksib]

https://www.heifer.org/blog/sun-protection-through-the-ages-...

[armatav]

Not seeing titanium, zinc, oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, or avobenzone.

That’s not our sunscreen.

[CubsFan1060]

I don’t think they lived long enough for it to be a problem.

[cubefox]

They were a lot longer outside than modern people though.

[antisthenes]

Outside != full sun.

Sitting in tree shade won't give you skin cancer.

[insanitybit]

How much UVA/UVB gets filtered out from shade under a tree? And how much vitamin D are we getting to make sitting in the shade worthwhile?

[wwtrv]

Well yeah.. just like wild animals which break a leg, catch a serious diseases etc. they can't do anything about it and die.

[itake]

How long did Stone Age people live? I thought most people died at like 40? I’m planning on living longer than that.

[PartiallyTyped]

Cancer is a bigger problem now because we have learned how to deal with other diseases.

[screwturner68]

they were dead by 40, skin cancer usually takes a little longer to show up and kill you.