Raising eyebrows: how evolution gave us expressive faces
Humans lost their strong brow ridges as social communication became more important, researchers say
Ian Sample Science editor
Mon 9 Apr 2018 11.27 EDT
As humans developed flatter, smoother brows, their faces became more expressive, a study suggests. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
Modern humans might never have raised a quizzical eyebrow had Homo sapiens not lost the thick, bony brows of its ancient ancestors in favour of smoother facial features, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of York believe early humans bore prominent brow ridges as a mark of physical dominance, and as the human face evolved to become smaller and flatter, it became a canvas on which the eyebrows could portray a much richer range of emotions.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/apr/09/raising-eyebrows-how-evolution-gave-us-expressive-faces
