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the initial role of big brains was for sexual attractiveness. For a long time, hominid females were selecting for big brains. Big brains served the same purpose
by Evgeny 17y ago
the initial role of big brains was for sexual attractiveness. For a long time, hominid females were selecting for big brains. Big brains served the same purpose as big tails do for peacocks. I think perhaps that those females were determined to someday produce a man with the mental capacity to understand women.
While this abstract is slightly funny, I suddenly realized that I have no idea about why humans evolved big brains.
Why most of the other species do not select for bigger brains, while human evolution seems to suggest that a bigger brain is a much better survival tool compared to sharp claws or protective colour? Certainly, other species would have offspring which have slightly larger/smarter brains. Why is that only a few species (humans, dolphins ...) evolved relatively large brains?
- ZenzerNet 17y agoProbably random mutation that happened to turn out beneficial for us. In evolutionary sense, a larger brain doesn't seem to be of utmost importance for reproduction.
- _pius 17y agoProbably random mutation that happened to turn out beneficial for us. Yes, but isn't that just restating the theory of evolution and natural selection?
- kingsley_20 17y agoThis is from a Nova science documentary (Becoming Human): some scientists believe that humans evolved larger brains in response to a rapidly changing ecosystem. They've found evidence of a ginormous lake appearing and disappearing many times repeatedly over a few thousand years, in the Rift Valley, near where early hominids started evolving larger brains. The theory is that the rapid adaptability afforded by a larger brain was what selected for it.