Human Brain Shape Fully Emerged Only 35K Ago

This article from PHYS.org cites a study showing that the globular brain shape of modern humans did not emerge until after 35K ago. There are a number of example of skulls which have brains the same size as ours, and which have facial features much like ours. But how that brain is organized seems to change around 35K ago- just when there is a "big bang" of creativity in human art culture.



"The Homo sapiens fossils were found to have increasingly more modern endocranial shapes in accordance with their geological age. Only fossils younger than 35,000 years show the same globular shape as present-day humans, suggesting that modern brain organization evolved some time between 100,000 and 35,000 years ago. Importantly, these shape changes evolved independently of brain size—with endocranial volumes of around 1,400 milliliters, even the oldest Homo sapiens fossils from Jebel Irhoud fell within present-day variation of brain size. "The brain is arguably the most important organ for the abilities that make us human," says Neubauer. But modern human brain shape was not established at the origin of our species together with other key features of craniodental morphology. Neubauer adds: "We already knew that brain shape must have evolved within our own species, but we were surprised to discover just how recent these changes to brain organization were."




Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-01-modern-human-brain-emerged.html#jCp"