[ETL]

Neanderthal skulls (left) are elongated from front to back like a football. Modern human neonates (right) and infants (right, inner images)
also have somewhat elongated skulls, but by the time they reach adulthood, their heads have rounded out into a basketball-like shape.
PHILIPP GUNZ/CC BY-NC-ND

[ETL]

Who has a "round head"? Not me.

[ETL]

[Yo-Yo]

By analyzing traces of Neanderthal DNA that linger in Europeans from their ancestors' trysts,

Really? That's so condescending.

[fidelis]

[centurion316]

It’s pretty simple. Skull size and shape is constrained by the birth canal. Once freed from the confines of the womb, the skull can grow and change shape to accommodate brain growth. Brainiacs end up looking like eggheads.

[bert]

If you took solid geometry and understood rather than just memorized theorems (dig at girls) you would know that a sphere is the largest volume with the smallest surface area.

Therefore a round head (no references to Cromwell and the English revolution please) is the most efficient large brain container

[farming pharmer]

Unfortunately, modern skull design made it easier to put our heads up our asses...

[gov_bean_ counter]

This one should be good...

[tomkat]

Cuz it's easier to make hats for roundish heads ?   ;-)

[LeonardFMason]

EASY ANSWER.

Hats are round.

Sheesh. Hit me with a hard question.

[LeonardFMason]

EASY ANSWER.

Hats are round.

Sheesh. Hit me with a hard question.

[ek_hornbeck]

This is consistent with earlier theories suggesting that Neanderthal brain growth stopped in relatively early childhood (as in apes, though not quite as extreme) while our brains continue to develop into our teens and beyond. This would mean that Neanderthal brains may have been large, but didn’t have the high neuron density or connectivity that we do - the main reason they lost and we won.

[mewzilla]

My guess: Moms of babies with smaller heads better survived birth and lived on to have more smaller headed fertile offspring.

[bgill]

Try passing a Neanderthal through the birth canal. It’s no wonder they died out.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

Much larger trapezius muscles?

[CaptainPhilFan]

Because there ain’t NO way in hell a sane woman would consent to give birth to a square headed youngun?

[bunkerhill7]

‘stretched from front to back like a football”
Neanderthals invented football coz they wanted to get ahead in the game-\
Remember the good-ol` NFL? Neanderthal football League
and their first and last Stupor Bowl?-
They played against the CFL [Cro-Magnon Football League] but lost in sudden death overtime when a CFL kicker
mistakenly kicked a Neanderthal`s head, splitting the uprights and the head simultaneously... The kick was good.

[Meet the New Boss]

[Leep]

Don’t know about heads.. but a
big leg woman ain’t got no soul.