Gilsanz’ studies were the first to indicate that bone acquisition is greatest during puberty, and that prepubertal children with low bone mass mature into young adults with low bone mass at risk for osteoporosis and fractures later in life. In a recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, looking at measurements of the vertebrae in newborns, Gilsanz and his team found that differences between the sexes are present at birth. Results suggest that this difference is evolutionary – allowing the female spine to adapt to carrying a baby during pregnancy, but likely to impart greater susceptibility for osteoporosis in older women and scoliosis in adolescent girls.