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Human brain evolution for study techniques - study techniques
To effectively understand learning techniques, it is essential to know our brain. This organ is one of the most complex in the human body and takes much longer than others to develop. Although the brain is present in almost all animals, its structure and development are unique to humans, the result of millions of years of evolution.
Understanding the evolutionary process of our brain was not an easy task. This organ is composed of soft tissue, which makes it susceptible to the passage of time. Unlike bones, which can fossilize, the brain decomposes and eventually disappears, leaving few useful traces for science.
In this lesson, we invite you to explore the details of the evolutionary process of the brain and how it was made possible to study it.
Paleoneurology is the science that studies the brain, focusing on the analysis of its structure in past centuries. This discipline determined that, in order to know the degree of evolution of a brain, it is essential to consider its cranial capacity, that is, the brain volume of the subject.
Aspects such as the level of blood irrigation and brain morphology have allowed us to better understand the most advanced species of millions of years ago.
One of the most remote known ancestors is Ardipithecus, a being with ape-like features and a skull similar in size to this animal. Figures indicate that, while the cranial cavity of chimpanzees is 280-500 cm³, that of Ardipithecus was 350 cm³.
Despite its precarious development, there are features that indicate evolution, such as its collective life and its bipedalism.
This species, although more advanced, presented primitive traits. Its cranial capacity did not exceed 500 cm³, in the chimpanzee range. However, there is evidence of a certain complexity in comparison with its ancestor, since it had air cavities that protected the encephalon.
As expected, its cognitive capacities and abilities to reason, remember, communicate and plan were very limited.
We have more information about this species than about its predecessors. Their cranial capacity of up to 640 cm³ allowed them to develop more complex skills, which was evident in activities such as the construction of rudimentary tools. Behind every creation, no matter how simple, there is a process of analysis, planning and coordination, which indicated signs of evolution in Homo habilis.
Homo erectus was an advanced species that mastered the use of fire for its benefit and performed survival activities, such as hunting in groups. It possessed more developed frontal lobes, as well as occipital, temporal and parietal lobes, with a cranial capacity ranging from 800-1000 cm³.
Neanderthals were an advanced species of which much information has been collected, being more contemporary than others. It is known that they coexisted with our species for centuries. Their cranial capacity reached up to 1900 cm³, which allowed them to develop a more complex language for communication.
Finally, we come to our species. Centuries of evolution allowed humans to develop, along with their biological traits, cognitive and communicative abilities. Art represented a significant advance for Homo sapiens, as there are no previous records of this manifestation. In addition, we developed more advanced cognitive functions that allowed us to reason and abstract, with a cranial capacity ranging between 1300 and 1800 cm³.
