cosmocreator
Sunday, August 3rd, 2003, 08:31 PM
This idea came to me as I was reading The Origin of Races. And I may be wrong.
When an animal, including man, becomes domesticated, its brain size is reduced by 10% to 30% of its wild counterpart. And although the overall brain is reduced in size, some parts of the brain increase in size such as the forebrain.
We know that Neanderthals had larger brains than modern man. His skull was doliocephalic, or long and narrow. The posterior part of the brain deals more with senses. A wild animal relies heavily on its sense for survival. A domesticated animal, less on senses and more on thinking rationally in humans or learned behavior such as in a dog. I think we can say with certitude that Neanderthals were less domesticated that Cro Magnon and the current populations of Europe more domesticated than CM.
Given the less need to rely on senses and more on reasoning, the posterior part of the brain has decreased and the forebrain, cerebral cortex, has increased. Thus causing brachycephalication.
When an animal, including man, becomes domesticated, its brain size is reduced by 10% to 30% of its wild counterpart. And although the overall brain is reduced in size, some parts of the brain increase in size such as the forebrain.
We know that Neanderthals had larger brains than modern man. His skull was doliocephalic, or long and narrow. The posterior part of the brain deals more with senses. A wild animal relies heavily on its sense for survival. A domesticated animal, less on senses and more on thinking rationally in humans or learned behavior such as in a dog. I think we can say with certitude that Neanderthals were less domesticated that Cro Magnon and the current populations of Europe more domesticated than CM.
Given the less need to rely on senses and more on reasoning, the posterior part of the brain has decreased and the forebrain, cerebral cortex, has increased. Thus causing brachycephalication.