Our brains are large compared with other animals, so it is tempting to assume there was an evolutionary advantage to them – but that may not be true at all
Humans
Human brains may have got bigger for no particular reason
Our brains are large compared with other animals, so it is tempting to assume there was an evolutionary advantage to them – but that may not be true at all
By Michael Marshall
6 July 2026
A new landmark study has uncovered evidence that challenges the long-held beliefs about human evolution.
Results suggest brain co-evolved with manual dexterity, say scientists, with humans by no means the outlier
A new study suggests humans became overwhelmingly right-handed because of two major evolutionary shifts: walking on two legs and…
A new skull-based analysis of Neanderthal brains suggests that these ancient hominins’ range of intelligence largely overlapped…
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Research offers insights into domestication of dogs but it remains unclear why they ended up with smaller brains than wolves
