The author argues for the need for a comprehensive theoretical framework to explain the effects of mortality but seems to be unaware of life history theory.

One exciting thing about BBS as a publication venue is that you can submit proposals to write a commentary on the "target article." We'd love to get commentaries from a wide range of scholars in different fields. Please consider submitting! Instructions can be found here: bit.ly/41ojxPB

The resulting synthesis supports a 2-tiered explanatory framework that accounts for the dualistic—and often countervailing—effects of energetics and other sources of extrinsic morality on the development of different life history traits (e.g., timing of puberty vs. earlier/faster reproduction).

Our target article attempts to resolve this controversy. Toward that end we review and integrate diverse lines of research on ecological conditions, mortality, sexual development, and reproduction, focusing on small-scale societies and low-and middle-income countries.

Much controversy exists around applications of life history (LH) theory to human development. One approach argues that exposures to extrinsic mortality promote the development of faster LH strategies. A competing approach argues that energetic constraints cause slower LH strategies.