Kevin MacDonald, Ph.D.
CSULB, Department of Psychology
Brain Size
Upgrading the Human Hard Drive
By SHELLY FREIERMAN
The New York Times
April 19, 2001It is not the opposable thumb so much as the size of our brains.
Becoming Human, a Web site by the Institute of Human Origins, is devoted to the history of human evolution, exploring what makes us, as Homo sapiens, different from other primates.
The site (www.becominghuman.org) also explains how fossil evidence is collected and interpreted, and it includes information on the debate over whether humans originated in Africa.
According to information at the site, 2 million to 700,000 years ago, the brain size of Homo erectus almost doubled, and it continued to grow until about 100,000 years ago. Some scientists theorize that complex social and language development were largely responsible for that increase in brain size.
Becoming Human, which includes a streaming documentary, news articles and an extensive glossary and links, also examines cultural developments like language, burials and tool use.
