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Quantitative uniqueness of human brain evolution revealed through phylogenetic comparative analysis

Miller, Ian Forrester; Barton, Robert A; Nunn, Charles L

Quantitative uniqueness of human brain evolution revealed through phylogenetic comparative analysis Thumbnail


Authors

Ian Forrester Miller

Charles L Nunn



Abstract

While the human brain is clearly large relative to body size, less is known about the timing of brain and brain component expansion within primates and the relative magnitude of volumetric increases. Using Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods and data for both extant and fossil species, we identified that a distinct shift in brain-body scaling occurred as hominins diverged from other primates, and again as humans and Neanderthals diverged from other hominins. Within hominins, we detected a pattern of directional and accelerating evolution towards larger brains, consistent with a positive feedback process in the evolution of the human brain. Contrary to widespread assumptions, we found that the human neocortex is not exceptionally large relative to other brain structures. Instead, our analyses revealed a single increase in relative neocortex volume at the origin of haplorrhines, and an increase in relative cerebellar volume in apes.

Citation

Miller, I. F., Barton, R. A., & Nunn, C. L. (2019). Quantitative uniqueness of human brain evolution revealed through phylogenetic comparative analysis. eLife, 8, Article e41250. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.41250

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 29, 2019
Online Publication Date Jan 31, 2019
Publication Date Jan 31, 2019
Deposit Date Feb 6, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal eLife
Publisher eLife Sciences Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 8
Article Number e41250
DOI https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.41250

Files

Accepted Journal Article (8.3 Mb)
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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
© 2019, Miller et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.







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