エネルギー学と人間の脳サイズの進化
Ana Navarrete1, Carel P van Schaik, Karin Isler
1Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. a.navarrete@aim.uzh.ch
Nature
|November 15, 2011
まとめ
高価な組織仮説は否定され,脳サイズは哺乳類の消化管のサイズと関連していない. 代わりに,脳のサイズと脂肪の貯蔵は負の相関を示し,エネルギー保存のための補償戦略を示唆しています.
科学分野:
- 進化生物学の進化生物学について
- 比較解剖学 比較解剖学とは
- 神経科学は神経科学である.
背景:
- 人間の脳の大きさは,哺乳類の特徴である.
- 高価な組織仮説は,脳のサイズと消化管のサイズとのトレードオフを想定しています.
- この仮説に対する経験的証拠は一貫していない.
研究 の 目的:
- 哺乳類の種間で高価な組織仮説を実証的にテストする.
- 脳のサイズと他の臓器の質量,特に消化管の間の関係を調査する.
- 脳の進化に関連するエネルギートレードオフを調査する.
主な方法:
- 23匹の霊長類を含む100種の哺乳類の脳サイズと臓器質量のデータを分析した.
- 臓器の大きさの相関を分離するために,脂肪のない体質の統計的制御.
- エンケファライゼーションと臓器質量の比較分析.
主要な成果:
- 脳の大きさは,消化管の質量または他のエネルギー的に高価な臓器との負の相関関係を示せず,高価な組織仮説を否定しました.
- 哺乳類の脳サイズと脂肪貯蔵 (脂肪貯蔵) の間には負の相関が認められた.
- エンセファライゼーションと脂肪の貯蔵は,飢餓抵抗の補償戦略であるようです.
結論:
- 高価な組織仮説は,この比較分析によって支持されていません.
- 哺乳類の脳の進化は,消化器官の大きさよりも,エネルギー貯蔵 (脂肪) のトレードオフを伴う可能性があります.
- 人間の脳形成は,安定したエネルギー摂取と,移動などの他の機能からの再配置の結果である可能性が高い.
関連する概念動画
Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
Biological Influences on Intelligence
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter more...
What is Evolutionary History?
Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.
Synteny and Evolution
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...


