One of the features that distinguishes modern humans (right) from Neandertals (left) is a globular shape of the braincase.
(Philipp Gunz (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0))
Posted on 12/15/2018 7:51:23 AM PST by ETL
The shape of your brain may say a lot about the Neanderthal in you.
New research has found that modern humans carrying certain genetic fragments from our closest extinct relatives may have more oblong brains and skulls than other people.
Modern humans possess unique, relatively globular skulls and brains. In contrast, the closest extinct relatives of modern humans, Neanderthals, have the elongated skulls and brains that are typical of most primates.
Previous research had suggested these contrasting skull shapes might reflect differences in the size of various brain regions in modern humans and Neanderthals, and how these brain areas were wired together. "However, brain tissue doesn't fossilize, so the underlying biology has remained elusive," co-lead study author Philipp Gunz, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told Live Science.
To help solve this mystery, scientists first took CT (computed tomography) scans of seven fossil Neanderthal skulls and 19 modern human skulls. They developed imprints of the interiors of the skulls' braincases and measured their roundness.
Next, the researchers analyzed nearly 4,500 modern humans for whom they had both genetic data and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brains.
"We reasoned that if we could identify specific Neanderthal DNA fragments in a large enough sample of living humans, we would be able to test whether any of these fragments push towards a less globular brain shape, allowing us to zoom in on genes that might be important for this trait," senior study author Simon Fisher, a neurogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, told Live Science.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This eugenics thing rolls back around every 20 years or so.
There is more phenotypic variation amongst africans than there are amongst africans and europeans.
Hows that for diversity.
This whole thing sounds a little like Nazis measuring people’s heads.
One of the features that distinguishes modern humans (right) from Neanderthals (left) is a globular shape of the braincase.
(CNN)Humans have unusually globular (or round) skulls and brains compared to our ancient ancestors — including our closest extinct cousins the Neanderthals — and a new study provides a possible explanation as to why.
For the first time, an interdisciplinary team of scientists have identified two genes that affect the shape of the modern human’s skull — and they originate from Neanderthals.
“Billions of people living today carry a small fraction of Neanderthal genes in their genome — a distant echo of admixture when our ancestors left Africa and encountered Neanderthals,” said study author Philipp Gunz, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, via email.
These are typically humans with European ancestry stemming from interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern Europeans.
“By combining data from fossils, genetics and brain imaging we can learn something about evolutionary changes to brain development in our own species,” said Gunz.
The team used MRI scans to analyze the cranial shape of about 4,500 peoples’ brains before looking at their genomes to work out which fragments of Neanderthal DNA they carried. ...”
https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/13/health/neanderthal-skull-genes-scli-intl/index.html
Mine shows definite troglodyte DNA.
While I understand what they’re saying, they don’t take into account the moldability of the human skull during infancy.
The Flathead Indian tribe was named that because they engaged in the practice of “flattening” their skulls. It was done in infancy, by binding the skull.
These days, what I see most often are babies with the backs of their heads flattened since putting babies on their backs to sleep is promoted.
This used to be a very big deal in the upper class populations during the 1900’s. It was called Phrenology;
A pseudomedicine primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, as indicative of mental faculties and traits of character, especially according to the hypotheses of Franz Joseph Gall; a German doctor, and such 19th centuray adherents as Johann Kaspar.
Later on, Phrenology was for the most part discredited by scientific research.
I’m a 75 year old senior and go for an annual physical. Why do I think that next year...head measurement will be mandatory...
I always wondered why a person would vote democrat
Sounds like John Kerry is even more neanderthal than we thought.
There are ads for “bump readers” in some of my old books.
I’ve seen more than a few Caucasians with the neanderthal skull and brow line over the years. Consistently, they too have been low on the socioeconomic ladder.
Recent research has also shown Neanderthal tendencies in humans that have larger than normal ears. In addition, ear size can also affect IQ. It appears the larger the ear, the lower the IQ.
Elizabeth Warren is 1/1028 Neanderthal.
I knew what it was before I even clicked on it.
So, they are saying that Neanderthals did not originate in Africa? There were no monkeys in Europe to evolve from.
Maybe the hoards coming out of Africa killed all the Neanderthals. Sort of like what is happening with Europeans today.
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