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Evolution of the modern human brain.

Amélie Beaudet1, Andrew Du2, Bernard Wood3

  • 1School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

Progress in Brain Research
|November 10, 2019
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Summary

Human brain evolution reveals larger, distinctively shaped brains compared to chimpanzees. Evidence from endocasts and fossil remains informs debates on brain size and shape changes over millions of years.

Keywords:
Brain shapeBrain sizeBroca's capEndocastFossil homininsGlobularizationLunate sulcus

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Modern human brains are significantly larger and possess different shapes than those of chimpanzees and bonobos.
  • Understanding these differences is key to tracing human evolutionary history.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evolutionary history of human brain size and shape differences.
  • To examine the evidence and debates surrounding hominin brain evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of natural endocasts (fossilized brain impressions).
  • Estimation of endocranial volume and regional proportions from preserved fossil skulls.
  • Review of existing literature and statistical approaches in paleoanthropology.

Main Results:

  • Reconstructions of ancestral hominin brain size and shape are based on limited fossil evidence.
  • Debates on the tempo and mode of hominin brain size increase are influenced by statistical methods and taxonomic scales.
  • Evidence for evolutionary changes in brain shape is scarce and often controversial.

Conclusions:

  • The evolutionary trajectory of human brain size and shape is complex and subject to ongoing scientific debate.
  • Further research with more reliable fossil evidence is needed to resolve controversies in hominin brain evolution.