Los Angeles Times

Can simulating evolution on a computer explain our enormous brains?

Compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, the human brain is way out of whack.

Our brains are roughly six times larger than what you would expect for a placental mammal of our stature, scientists say.

And no other animal has a brain as large as ours relative to body size.

So why did humans evolve to have such large brains when other animals did not?

It's a question that evolutionary biologists and anthropologists have been trying to answer for decades.

Our giant brains must have helped our ancestors survive in the African savannah where the first modern humans evolved, but they also came at a metabolic cost.

The human brain represents just

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
Eric Sondheimer: Greatest legacy of 1984 Olympic Games is LA84 Foundation
LOS ANGELES — Driving past a San Fernando Valley middle school during lunchtime, the sports fields were buzzing with activity. Soccer balls were being kicked, basketballs were being dribbled, tetherballs were being socked. My previous three hours had
Los Angeles Times4 min read
Space Team Seeks To Turn School Into Science Destination
LOS ANGELES — This month, Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, had a pep rally to celebrate the achievements of what might be its least conventional team: its cutting-edge space squad. Seniors Isaiah Dunn, Christopher Holbert, Travis Le
Los Angeles Times4 min read
Why Did Reggie Bush Lose His Heisman Trophy? How Did The Former USC Star Get It Back?
LOS ANGELES — Former USC running back Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy in 2005, lost it in 2010 and finally got it back this week. It's been a long, strange trip for the player who went on to win a Super Bowl in the NFL and serve as a college footb

Related Books & Audiobooks