Thursday, April 8, 2010
Evolution of a more complex brain
Near the end of the chapter “What about Us?” Coyne states that, much like the development of bipedalism, hominids evolved a more complex brain based off of climate and environmental pressures. However, Coyne also states that the theory that early hominids developed complex brains in order to create more complex tools for survival also “ignores other selective pressures for bigger and more complex brains, including the development of language, negotiating the psychological intricacies of primitive society, planning for the future, and so on” (209). Based off this, why do you think that the brains of today’s humans are capable of such abstract thinking? Considering that the main goal of any species is to live and reproduce, what selective advantages are there for humans to be able to learn, say, mathematics? And finally, what do you think are the selective pressures that influenced the refinement of an early hominid's brain to that of a modern human's and how did these factors change the evolution of the brain?
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ReplyDeleteWhile having the ability to understand mathematics, for example, does not seem to directly contribute to survival and reproduction, the ability remains within a population as long as the individuals that have it are able to reproduce. Scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have conducted a study from which they concluded that "Genes that control the size and complexity of the brain have undergone much more rapid evolution in humans than in non-human primates or other mammals" (Lahn, 2004). The study found that, generally, among early humans, individuals with more developed brains, naturally, tended to achieve more success in survival and reproduction, as such individuals are able to make informed decisions.
ReplyDeleteI believe, that, unlike other species (whose members compete for mates via physical fighting), humans have competed with each other using whatever brainpower was available to them. In accordance with the theme of continuity and change (the theme that characteristics can be inherited in the form of genes), powerful brains proliferated throughout the human population, resulting in the average human brain increasing in power steadily over time. And with the increase in brain power came the side effects of having that brain power (for example, the ability to think abstractly and learn mathematics).