3 ms·
Runs contrary the recent post on human brain capacity / intelligence peaking 70,000 years ago and declining since. With "extincting all predators" and farming
by tejtm 5y ago
Runs contrary the recent post on human brain capacity / intelligence peaking 70,000 years ago and declining since.
With "extincting all predators" and farming being lesser factors than the continual community based purging of more aggressive/intelligent individuals.
- pflanze 5y agoYou're probably referring to "Why are our brains shrinking? (usfca.edu)"[1] But that made claims about size, not capacity or intelligence? [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29031999 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29031999
- tejtm 5y agosure and certainly between species neuron density may vary wildly resulting in some smaller being smarter than other larger. The researchers wisely made claims on what they have, and that does not include neuron density over eons within our species nor paleo intelligence tests in general. But being a poster child of typical myself I can't help but suspect the most parsimonious result is (statistically) larger cranial capacity affords higher intelligence potential all other things e.g, neuron density, being equal. Half a moment of cherry-picking web search results for "cranial capacity and intelligence in mammals" turns up "External Measures of Cognition" [1] which "surprise!" agrees. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3207484/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3207484/