Friday, September 09, 2005

does size matter?

'Proof' our brains are evolving

Apparently two new genes have been found which are linked to brain size. One emerged about 50,000 years ago, and the other about 5,800 years ago. Their appearances coincide with major cultural shifts - allegedly - though such things would be hard to date.

I don't like the idea that everything is genetically determined. For a start, there must be some interaction with the environment, the social and cultural context, and so on. Which came first, the gene or the need for it? And does brain size actually matter? What about the complexity of the cortical folds?

1 comment:

Balador said...

Size doesn't matter its what you do with it that counts...you brain that is ;-)