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 Times2 min read
Martin Scorsese Will Produce And Host A Docudrama Series For Fox Nation Streaming Service
NEW YORK — Martin Scorsese has landed in Fox Nation. The subscription streaming service owned and operated by Fox News Media announced Wednesday that it has signed the Oscar-winning director to produce and host an eight-episode faith-based docudrama
Los Angeles Times13 min read
Why Was 2023 Such A Deadly Year In Los Angeles County Jails? It Depends On Whom You Ask
LOS ANGELES -- It was well after dark, but Tawana Hunter lingered in the hospital parking lot, watching the minutes tick by on her phone. As midnight drew closer, she ran through all the things she wished had been different. She wished her father had
Los Angeles Times3 min readCrime & Violence
Editorial: On Medication Abortion, The Supreme Court May Actually Do The Right Thing
It always seemed farfetched that anti-abortion doctors could argue that they have the right to ask a court to severely restrict a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration simply because they don’t want to treat women who might experienc

Related Books & Audiobooks