Where are our shrinking brain theories? - Mind Hacks
Posted by dp1974 at 14:18, 01 Aug 2009New Scientist has as article arguing that the expansion in hominid brain size that occurred about two million years ago was due to the ice age which allowed an energy burning, heat generating brain to develop with sufficient environmental cooling:
http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/07/wh...
It joins an ever growing list of theories that attempt to explain how our forebears 'suddenly' seemed to experience evolutionary brain expansion.
These include:
A diet high in meat.
A diet high in starch.
Social competition.
The development of cooking.
Essential fatty acids and schizophrenia.
An unspecified "special event".
Links provided in the article.
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Comments
1 May 2004
42 weeks 3 days
Has always been my favorite theory about our brain/body mass. Diving reflex, fat storage, walking upright. At some point we spent time, a lot of time in the water. The evidence may be mostly underwater though...
22 November 2004
2 weeks 15 hours
I've tried walking upright in (not on) water, it doesn't work. Swimming is much more natural when the water is hip deep or more. Standing in water that deep and has a current doesn't work either. This is not forgotten skill, it's mechanics.
Unless these aquatic apes were just getting their feet wet.
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No amount of cursing at the round earth will make it flat.