The largest animals do not possess proportionally larger brains, humans being a notable exception, a new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution has revealed that brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolution trend.
| Date | July 8, 2024 |
| Source | University of Reading |
| Summary | A new study has revealed that the largest animals do not have proportionally larger brains, with humans being a notable exception. |
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Experiment of Brain and Body Size:
Researchers from the University of Reading and Durham University compiled an extensive dataset of brain and body sizes from around 1,500 species to address longstanding debates about brain size evolution. Larger brains relative to body size are associated with intelligence, social behavior, and behavioral complexity, with humans having evolved particularly large brains.
How The Brain Size Riddle Solved as Humans Exceed Evolution Trend
The research reveals a straightforward association between brain and body size across all mammals, allowing the identification of species that deviate from the norm.
Among these outliers is Homo sapiens, which evolved over 20 times faster than other mammal species, resulting in the large brains characteristic of humans today.
However, humans are not the only species to deviate from this trend.
All mammal groups exhibited rapid changes—both increases and decreases—in brain size.
For instance, bats rapidly reduced their brain size initially, then showed very slow changes in relative brain size, suggesting evolutionary constraints related to flight demands.
Three groups of animals displayed the most significant rapid changes in brain size: primates, rodents, and carnivores. These groups tend to show an increase in relative brain size over time (the “Marsh-Lartet rule”), which is not a universal trend across all mammals as previously believed.
Watch Here The Video of Brain
Why Brain Size is Not Related to Body Size
Dr. Joanna Baker, a co-author from the University of Reading, noted: ‘Our results uncover a mystery. In the largest animals, something prevents brains from growing too large. It remains to be seen if this is because large brains are too costly to maintain. However, similar patterns in birds suggest a general phenomenon—the ‘curious ceiling’ applies to animals with very different biology.'”
Professor Chris Venditti, the study’s lead author from the University of Reading, stated: ‘For over a century, scientists assumed this relationship was linear—meaning brain size increased proportionally with body size. We now know this is not true. The relationship between brain and body size forms a curve, indicating very large animals have smaller brains than expected.’ So the brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolution trend.
FAQ:
1. What is the “Marsh-Lartet rule”?
The “Marsh-Lartet rule” refers to the tendency for relative brain size to increase over time in certain groups of animals, such as primates, rodents, and carnivores. However, this trend is not universal across all mammals.
2. How does the human brain size compare to that of other animals?
Humans have exceptionally large brains relative to their body size compared to other animals. This significant brain size is linked to our advanced intelligence, complex social structures, and sophisticated behaviors.
3. Do larger animals always have proportionally larger brains?
No, larger animals do not always have proportionally larger brains. In fact, the largest animals tend to have smaller brains relative to their body size. Humans are an exception to this trend.