Study reveals that climate change will impact the size of our brains

2023-07-07 09:52:00

We have known this since the appearance of man on the planet, our brain evolves and has developed over time. The National Museum of Natural History in Paris explains: “Over 7 million years, the increase in brain volume occurs in parallel with the acquisition of new skills. This concerns the making of many tools, the complexity of which increases over time, the emergence of a form of articulated language, the appearance of culture, symbolic behaviors and the arts…”

Increased meat consumption would also have favored the development of our brain according to the British researcher Leslie Aiello. According to the latter metabolic load that our body is responsible for digestion could be reduced thanks to the consumption of meat. Indeed, this food easier to digest than raw vegetables that humans have consumed for a long time would have reduced this metabolic load by shifting it to brain development.

The human brain is smaller during periods of global warming

Jeff Morgan Stibel, Researcher at the National History Museum in Los Angeles, states in a recent study published in the scientific journal Brain, Behavior and Evolution that the underlying mechanisms of brain development are not yet fully defined.

To carry out his research focused on the consequences of climate change on the size of the human brain, the scientist compared the size of 298 brains of Homo specimens. The goal is to find out if the temperature, humidity or drought over the past 50 thousand years would have had an impact on the size of the brain.

The study thus reveals that: “Through regional and global paleoclimate records, average brain size in Homo is significantly weaker during periods of global warming compared to colder periods. »

Humidity and environmental stress also impact the brain

Humidity and environmental stress also impact the size of the brain according to the researcher. “In addition to changes in temperature, humidity and precipitation were also associated with adaptations in brain size, although this effect was less pronounced. »

It is also interesting to note that the human brain is said to grow in size when individuals are confronted with cold climates and arid environments.

For further…

The study of variations in the size of the human brain is complex and certainly influenced by other factors which affect the ecosystem as predation. It can also be the result of “an indirect consequence of a changing climate (such as vegetation levels and net primary production), or through non-climate related means (such as cultivation and technology)” reports the scientist. .

To conclude his study, the researcher nevertheless wishes to temporize the results obtained given the fossil dating analyzed in this framework and spatio-temporal delays.

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