The shape, not size, of our ancestors' brains may have helped them outlast Neanderthals

[rangerrebew]

The shape, not size, of our ancestors' brains may have helped them outlast Neanderthals

By Deborah Netburn
Apr 27, 2018 | 3:00 AM


For more than 200,000 years, Neanderthals successfully occupied the cold, dark forests and shores of Europe.

Then early humans came along.


Archaeological evidence suggests that human migrants from Africa arrived on the European continent around 40,000 years ago. About that same time, the Neanderthals all died off.

For decades, anthropologists have puzzled over what factors contributed to this rapid and total replacement of Neanderthals by their modern human cousins.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-neanderthal-human-brains-20180427-story.html

[Joe Wooten]

Computerized guesswork, with as much uncertainty as pulling it out of their asses.

[Oceander]

It’s interesting. It’s certainly speculative, and the authors admit that, but it does point to some possibilities.

[Sanguine]

Shapely brains work better.

[Oceander]

Shapely brains work better.

I think it’s more the idea that the morphology of the brain indicates the relative sizes, and thus relative strengths, of different component areas of the brain.

[WingNot]

I think it’s more the idea that the morphology of the brain indicates the relative sizes, and thus relative strengths, of different component areas of the brain.

WTF? 

Shapely brains work better.

Hubba Hubba!  I'll take a tight shapely one over a round out of shape one anyday!

[Sanguine]

I think it’s more the idea that the morphology of the brain indicates the relative sizes, and thus relative strengths, of different component areas of the brain.

Which is pretty much what I said.