Breakthrough

Living in the Meantime with Stephen Bauman · Sep 16, 2026 · 1m

From the surprisingly early beginnings of puberty to our culture’s fascination with adults who behave like children, Stephen reflects on how little we truly understand about human development—and wonders whether our greatest breakthrough might be learning why growing older doesn’t always mean growing up.

Transcript:

I don’t know if it’s good news or bad, but I’ve read that scientists report that contrary to everyday wisdom, the onslaught of puberty may actually begin around the age of 7 or so. Evidence suggests that like most other aspects of human development, sexuality is more a process…