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Do we know why this is the case? It doesn’t seem like a larger body would need additional brainpower.
by bilsbie 4y ago
Do we know why this is the case? It doesn’t seem like a larger body would need additional brainpower.
- im3w1l 4y agoOne idea I've proposed for this is that is mostly correlation and just a little causation. Like assume going bigger is in an easy to get a little bit smarter, but at a large energy cost. Then EQ measures how willing the animal is to invest in additional smarts. If it's willing to invest energy, then it will also mean that evolution will favor intelligent animals more strongly so it will evolve other ways of becoming smarter than just going bigger. Perhaps more faster or more efficient neurons or better mactro structure. And those other things are where the major benefits come from.
- bryanrasmussen 4y agowell a bigger brain requires a bigger head requires a bigger body to carry it, so this would seem to push the chances of higher intelligence onto the animals with the bigger bodies. But I'd guess it is just a slight increase in the likelihood, since the structure is probably of more importance.
- nomel 4y agoIf you assume some sensor density, along the body, is required, then a larger body means more sensory cells, which necessitates more nerves, which requires more neurons to make sense of them in a meaningful way.