People are wiser or 'stupid'?

The question is thus posed by the conventional notion that intelligence is directly proportional to the size of the . head .

That is, the bigger the brain the more wise people are. The truth is unclear, but studies have shown that the human brain is "shrinking" over tens of thousands of years.

Stupid in evolution?

According to BBC News , although it is not easy to accept this fact, it seems to mean that humanity is becoming less and less intelligent, according to common logic and no scientific principles.

A recent report published in Discover Science magazine (USA) shows that in more than 20,000 years, our brain has become smaller.

The reduction in the size of the skull takes place after regular growth about 2 million years ago. This does not happen on the gender or ethnicity, but throughout the planet.

Author Kathleen McAuliffe wrote in the report: " Over the past 20,000 years, the average size of the male brain has decreased from 1,500 cm³ to 1,350 cm³, meaning that a partial loss is equal to the size of a tennis ball. Brain size Women 's suits also fell by the same percentage . "

Meanwhile, Dr. John Hawks, a University of Wisconsin anthropologist, argues that, in fact, the size of the human brain is diminishing does not mean our intelligence. decline follow.

Also, many paleontologists also claim that the human brain may be smaller in size but larger in terms of . work efficiency. However, many other professionals believe that humans become more stupid during the process of . evolution.

Many theories have been proposed to explain the mystery of the reduction in human skull size. One of them said that humans need a big head to survive in Upper Paleolithic, to survive the cold and many outdoor activities.

The second hypothesis is that the developmental head to adapt to a chewable diet, such as eating rabbits, deer, foxes and horses. When our food is easier to eat, the entire head size also stops growing.

3-dimensional image of a human skull 28,000 years ago
found in France shows that it is 28% larger than the human skull today.

Will the brain increase in size again?

Some other experts argue, with very high neonatal mortality rates in the olden days, those who are very strong and healthy will survive. And these objects probably own a big head! In fact, when the reduced infant mortality rate leads to a corresponding decrease in the size of the human brain.

A recent study by David Geary and Drew Bailey - two Cognitive scientists at the University of Missouri have discovered a compatible change of skull size with a complex, changing social environment. from 1.9 million years ago to 10,000 years " close " here.

They found that when population density is low (during most of our evolution), the skull increases in size. But when residents of a certain area change from sparse to dense, our skull size decreases.

These two authors conclude quite " enlightened " that, when the scope of society expands, the human brain goes away because it is not necessary to be . intelligent to survive.

However, David Geary dismissed the argument that as such, " the tools " are much smarter than we are today.

" In fact, human ancestors are not equivalent to us in terms of intellect and creativity, because they lack the motivational cultural element we have today. The increase in agricultural areas, " he explained . or modern in the process of specialization that allows intelligent people to focus on their strengths such as science and art . But our ancestors are not like that, all must be Do your best to survive ".

On the other hand, John Hawks, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, believes that human brain size reduction may actually give a good signal: We are getting smarter. The brain, he argued, uses up to 20% of the " fuel " we load, so if it gets bigger, it will also consume more energy and take more time to express its ability.

According to Dr. Hawks, the booming population of 20,000 to 10,000 years ago caused an unusual but beneficial transformation. This helps the human brain to be better organized, neurological chemical changes that raise the " capacity " of the human brain. But according to Hawks, the human brain may increase in size again at some point.