When and Why Did Human Brains Decrease in Size? A New Change-Point Analysis and Insights From Brain Evolution in Ants

Human brain size nearly quadrupled in the six million years since Homo last shared a common ancestor with chimpanzees, but human brains are thought to have decreased in volume since the end of the last Ice Age. The timing and reason for this decrease is enigmatic. Here we use change-point analysis t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jeremy M. DeSilva, James F. A. Traniello, Alexander G. Claxton, Luke D. Fannin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-10-01
Series:Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.742639/full