Maybe it's novel to you that humans are intelligent except, naturally, for Republicans but there doesn't seem to be any particular reason we can do calculus and chimpanzees probably cannot. (Science Daily: Why are primates big-brained? Researchers' answer is food for thought)
Brain size in primates is predicted by diet, an analysis by a team of New York University anthropologists indicates. These results call into question "the social brain hypothesis," which has posited that humans and other primates are big-brained due to factors pertaining to sociality.
The findings, which appear in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, reinforce the notion that both human and non-human primate brain evolution may be driven by differences in feeding rather than in socialization.
- SD
It seems intuitive that it takes more brainpower to find some chow for the day than it does to go to Facebook to Like cat pictures but let's review the science, shall we.
Here's a young chimpanzee showing his frugivorous nature.
Brain size in primates is predicted by diet, an analysis by a team of NYU anthropologists indicates. Above, a chimpanzee eating fruit.
Credit: James Higham
"Complex foraging strategies, social structures, and cognitive abilities, are likely to have co-evolved throughout primate evolution," adds Alex DeCasien, an NYU doctoral candidate and lead author of the study. "However, if the question is: 'Which factor, diet or sociality, is more important when it comes to determining the brain size of primate species?' then our new examination suggests that factor is diet."
- SD
Watson: they just said the same thing again
Thanks for reminding us you can read, Watson.
The social brain hypothesis sees social complexity as the primary driver of primate cognitive complexity, suggesting that social pressures ultimately led to the evolution of the large human brain. While some studies have shown positive relationships between relative brain size and group size, other studies which examined the effects of different social or mating systems have revealed highly conflicting results, raising questions about the strength of the social brain hypothesis.
- SD
The idea of the Brain According to Facebook is looking seriously thin. We don't care about society; we just want something to eat.
In the Nature Ecology and Evolution study, the researchers, who also included Scott Williams, an assistant professor of anthropology at NYU, examined more than 140 primate species -- or more than three times as many as previous studies -- and incorporated more recent evolutionary trees, or phylogenies. They took into account food consumption across the studied species -- folivores (leaves), frugivores (fruit), frugivores/folivores, and omnivores (addition of animal protein) -- as well as several measures of sociality, such as group size, social system, and mating system.
- SD
They even included the frugivores and anytime anyone includes those rascals, you know they're serious about the study.
Watson: what's a frugivore?
That's us, man. We pretend to be predators instead of fruit eaters but eating meat just makes us get fat so we get sick and we die. We're frugivores for sure. They call us omnivores but we suck at it.
Their results showed that brain size is predicted by diet rather than by the various measures of sociality -- after controlling for body size and phylogeny. Notably, frugivores and frugivore/folivores exhibit significantly larger brains than folivores and, to a lesser extent, omnivores show significantly larger brains than folivores.
- SD
There's the punchline and it appears the Social Brain Hypothesis supporting Facebook and socializing has fallen behind the They Were Just Hungry Hypothesis.
So we don't need Facebook but I could pay you back Tuesday if you buy me a burger today.
- Wimpy from "Popeye"
Brain size in primates is predicted by diet, an analysis by a team of New York University anthropologists indicates. These results call into question "the social brain hypothesis," which has posited that humans and other primates are big-brained due to factors pertaining to sociality.
The findings, which appear in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, reinforce the notion that both human and non-human primate brain evolution may be driven by differences in feeding rather than in socialization.
- SD
It seems intuitive that it takes more brainpower to find some chow for the day than it does to go to Facebook to Like cat pictures but let's review the science, shall we.
Here's a young chimpanzee showing his frugivorous nature.
Brain size in primates is predicted by diet, an analysis by a team of NYU anthropologists indicates. Above, a chimpanzee eating fruit.
Credit: James Higham
"Complex foraging strategies, social structures, and cognitive abilities, are likely to have co-evolved throughout primate evolution," adds Alex DeCasien, an NYU doctoral candidate and lead author of the study. "However, if the question is: 'Which factor, diet or sociality, is more important when it comes to determining the brain size of primate species?' then our new examination suggests that factor is diet."
- SD
Watson: they just said the same thing again
Thanks for reminding us you can read, Watson.
The social brain hypothesis sees social complexity as the primary driver of primate cognitive complexity, suggesting that social pressures ultimately led to the evolution of the large human brain. While some studies have shown positive relationships between relative brain size and group size, other studies which examined the effects of different social or mating systems have revealed highly conflicting results, raising questions about the strength of the social brain hypothesis.
- SD
The idea of the Brain According to Facebook is looking seriously thin. We don't care about society; we just want something to eat.
In the Nature Ecology and Evolution study, the researchers, who also included Scott Williams, an assistant professor of anthropology at NYU, examined more than 140 primate species -- or more than three times as many as previous studies -- and incorporated more recent evolutionary trees, or phylogenies. They took into account food consumption across the studied species -- folivores (leaves), frugivores (fruit), frugivores/folivores, and omnivores (addition of animal protein) -- as well as several measures of sociality, such as group size, social system, and mating system.
- SD
They even included the frugivores and anytime anyone includes those rascals, you know they're serious about the study.
Watson: what's a frugivore?
That's us, man. We pretend to be predators instead of fruit eaters but eating meat just makes us get fat so we get sick and we die. We're frugivores for sure. They call us omnivores but we suck at it.
Their results showed that brain size is predicted by diet rather than by the various measures of sociality -- after controlling for body size and phylogeny. Notably, frugivores and frugivore/folivores exhibit significantly larger brains than folivores and, to a lesser extent, omnivores show significantly larger brains than folivores.
- SD
There's the punchline and it appears the Social Brain Hypothesis supporting Facebook and socializing has fallen behind the They Were Just Hungry Hypothesis.
So we don't need Facebook but I could pay you back Tuesday if you buy me a burger today.
- Wimpy from "Popeye"
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