Human evolution - Brain Size, Adaptations, Fossils
![](https://cdn.britannica.com/93/393-050-12C6DE14/increase-capacity.jpg)
Human evolution - Brain Size, Adaptations, Fossils: Because more complete fossil heads than hands are available, it is easier to model increased brain size in parallel with the rich record of artifacts from the Paleolithic Period (c. 3.3 million to 10,000 years ago), popularly known as the Old Stone Age. The Paleolithic preceded the Middle Stone Age, or Mesolithic Period; this nomenclature sometimes causes confusion, as the Paleolithic itself is divided into Early, Middle, and Late (or Upper) periods. Hominin brain expansion tracks so closely with refinements in tool technology that some scholars ignore other factors that may have contributed to the brain’s increasing size, such as
Human evolution, the process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates. The only extant members of the human tribe, Hominini, belong to the species Homo sapiens. The exact nature of the evolutionary relationships between modern humans and their ancestors remains the subject of debate.
![](https://i.cbc.ca/1.4686290.1527796242!/fileImage/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/16x9_780/primate-skull-series.png)
A gene for our big brains was rescued from the DNA garbage bin
![](https://d2jx2rerrg6sh3.cloudfront.net/images/news/ImageForNews_765371_17010571149449881.jpg)
Fermented foods may have fueled human brain growth, new
![](https://study.com/cimages/videopreview/videopreview-full/sapiens_neanderthal_comparison_132973.jpg)
Human Fossil Record Definition, Evidence & Evolution - Lesson
![](https://i.extremetech.com/imagery/content-types/06ii301GLqP8YyQX9mfoj0k/images-2.jpg)
New Fossil Discovery Rewrites History of First Human Beings
![](https://www.americanscientist.org/sites/americanscientist.org/files/2021-109-6-352-ksepka-8-natural.jpg)
Bird Brain Evolution
![](http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/sn/13questions2.png)
13 Big Questions in Human Evolution
![](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/human-evolution/australopithecus-afarensis/australopithecus-afarensis-reconstruction4-full-width.jpg.thumb.620.620.jpg)
Human Evolution By Jose Antonio Peas
Part 1 Skull size Larger brains in primates are
![](https://media.springernature.com/lw685/springer-static/image/chp%3A10.1007%2F978-3-642-39979-4_81/MediaObjects/317191_2_En_81_Fig5_HTML.gif)
The Evolution of the Hominid Brain
![](https://www.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.cam.ac.uk/files/styles/content-885x432/public/news/research/news/manicaskullsandfemurs.jpg?itok=AwXQY475)
Climate changed the size of our bodies and, to some extent, our
![](https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/origins/images/brain_size_cultural_evolution.gif)
Origins - Exploring the Fossil Record
![](https://media.springernature.com/m685/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41467-021-24290-7/MediaObjects/41467_2021_24290_Fig1_HTML.png)
Different environmental variables predict body and brain size
![](http://aquatic-human-ancestor.org/anatomy/images/brain-size.jpg)
Evolution of the Human Brain
![](https://www.nyit.edu/files/box/article_images/Box_20210429_BrianBeattyAnatomyResearch_Hero.jpg)
Study: Brain Size May Not Indicate Intelligence, News