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How Did Human Brains Get to Be so Big? New research points to an ancient energy tradeoff that meant more fuel for brains, and less fuel for muscles. Recently while visiting the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., I found myself pondering the noggins of some very, very, old apes. Along one wall of the Hall of Human Origins — an exhibit on human evolution that opened in 2010 — were 76 fossil skulls from 15 species of early humans. Looking at these skulls, one thing was clear:  millions of years of evolution have given us much bigger brains. Read More

How Did Human Brains Get to Be so Big?

New research points to an ancient energy tradeoff that meant more fuel for brains, and less fuel for muscles.

Recently while visiting the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., I found myself pondering the noggins of some very, very, old apes.

Along one wall of the Hall of Human Origins — an exhibit on human evolution that opened in 2010 — were 76 fossil skulls from 15 species of early humans. Looking at these skulls, one thing was clear:  millions of years of evolution have given us much bigger brains.

Read More

#neuroscience  #biology  #science  #anthropology  #evolution  #the brain  
∞  February 21, 2012
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via blogs.scientificamerican.com