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Re: Brain size, IQ
Len Piotrowski (lpiotrow@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
Thu, 29 Aug 1996 13:49:02 GMT
In article <502eei$368u@argo.unm.edu> mycol1@unm.edu (Bryant) writes:
>[snip]
>>>>The controversy is over the simple notion that brain size was heritable and
>>>>not something else of which head size (and thus brain size) was an effect.
>>
>>>Um, so you believe that Australopithicine brains and Homo sapiens brains
>>>would be the same if subjected to the same set of environemntal effects?
>>
>>How ever did you derive from what I said that conclusion???
>Because you said that heritability may not have explained the
>evolutionary increase in homonid cranial capacity.
If you include "development" as heritable, I guess that would appear to
negate even my caveat about brain size. But it also denies the apparent fact
that human development since Neanderthal times appears to be fixed as well,
with some exceptions I think explained more parsimoniously by diet and
nutrition than evolutionary changes in "development." (We may, however,
generate some discussion about "giants" and "pygmies," or medieval stature
versus modern populations, or first generation immigrants and their
offspring, in relation to head and body size ratios and the possible evidence
for evolutionary trends!?)
>>>I don't recall the cubic centimeters, but do seem to recall some
>>>substantial growth in cranial capacity since H. erectus.
>>
>>Not since H. erectus, as far as I am aware, unless you are including H.
>>erectus in the statistic. Do you have some data that shows this trend?
>Gotchya. I misread you as meaning to include erectus.
No problema!
Cheers,
--Lenny__
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