Researchers and scientists have made a thought-provoking prediction about human evolution, suggesting that the human brain has been gradually decreasing in size over time.
Approximately a million years ago, Homo sapiens roamed the Earth, and it is astonishing to consider that the brains of modern humans are estimated to be approximately 13 times smaller compared to the brain size of Homo sapiens.
This intriguing insight into human evolution raises many questions about the potential factors and implications surrounding this significant change in our cognitive development.
The sparrow builds the same type of nest
The human community is a distinguished classification within the animal kingdom, distinct from other species.
This distinction can be attributed to the remarkable human ability to think critically, plan strategically, innovate creatively, and physically stand upright.
The unique functionality of the human brain is the primary driving force behind this difference. While certain bird species, such as the sparrow, display the ability to create distinct and intricate nests, these nests generally remain unchanged over time.
Contrastingly, mankind has exhibited exceptional skills and capabilities across a wide range of domains. Our species has transitioned from inhabiting caves to constructing and living in advanced, technologically equipped shelters.
The remarkable capacity of humans to think, create, and innovate has propelled us from inventing fundamental tools such as the wheel to achieving monumental feats such as landing on the moon.
The start of brain shrinkage
Research indicates that the size of the human brain has gradually decreased over the last 100,000 years.
Ian Tattersall, a palaeontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, has observed that the ancient human brain has undergone changes over time.
Based on studies from the oldest known human species to modern humans, he concluded that the brains of Australopithecus afarensis, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, and Homo neanderthalensis have increased in size over time in Asia, Europe, and Africa.
However, with the advent of modern humans, the trend of brain enlargement has reversed.
Tattersall has also noted that the skull of modern humans is significantly smaller than that of Homo sapiens from the last ice age, with a unique shape that distinguishes early humans.
Additionally, Gerhard von Bonin, a German scientist from the University of Chicago in Illinois, suggested in 1934 that a decrease in the size of the human brain has occurred in Europe over the last 10,000 to 20,000 years.
The effect of shrinking brain
In a recent study, scientists concluded that human brain size began to shrink around 100,000 years ago, which they believe may be linked to a more efficient processing of symbolic information.
This change in brain size and function is thought to be influenced by the development of language, which has led to a shift in thinking style.
Additionally, researchers believe that the shrinking brain is a result of the nerves organising in a different and faster way as humans began using language more extensively.
This smaller and more organised brain may have expanded its capabilities to perform more complex calculations.
Furthermore, an analysis of bones and skulls from Europe, Africa, and Asia in 2013 revealed that the largest-brained Homo sapiens lived between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago.
It was also noted that the human brain started to shrink around 10,000 years ago, coinciding with the transition from hunting to farming.
Brain size and function
The question that arises here is whether the size of the brain is decreasing, and if it has any effect on human intelligence.
Brain size doesn’t determine everything. In terms of body size, men’s brains are larger than women’s, but research has shown that women and men have similar cognitive abilities.
It has become a scientifically accepted fact that the size of our brains is now significantly decreasing. However, scientists say that doesn’t mean our capacity for greater intelligence is shrinking.
Man is progressing. It is very difficult to measure the extent of the achievements that mankind has accomplished. Man, who obtained food by hunting, then turned to farming to meet that need.
However, nowadays food has become a very complex culture and needs are everywhere. Everything that man has brought closer to him has become human needs.
The human brain also changes according to the conditions in each stage. Although the brain is decreasing in size, scientists point out that its functions are heading towards a very complex and powerful situation.
