• obbeel@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      3 years ago

      “It is a well-known paradox that humans are certainly the most cognitively advanced species but nevertheless show a smaller average brain size, by weight or volume, than elephants and whales. One attempt at a resolution of this paradox invoked the encephalization quotient (EQ), a measure of brain mass normalized essentially by body mass (Jerison, 1973). Many researchers found EQ appealing because it served well to distinguish humans from other species, but this measure turns not to provide an acceptable rank order of other species (Deaner, Isler, Burkart, & van Schaik, 2007; MacLean et al., 2014); for example, monkeys are more encephalized than the undoubtedly intelligent great apes (Deaner, van Schaik, & Johnson, 2006). Furthermore, the notion of an EQ may not be applicable to individual differences within the human species, for both birds and mammals exhibit within-species brain-body scaling that is weaker and more variable than in other vertebrates (Tsuboi et al., 2018).”

      • a_Ha@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        3 years ago

        so the higher intelligence in humans is not produced by :
        size of brain (1),
        mass of brain (2),
        EQ == (2) / body mass,

        Could it be related to the surface area of the neocortex ?


        Please notice you can block any message from one given user by using the ban button.

    • obbeel@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      3 years ago

      I doubt it’s mainstream even though it was published on Science.

      • PP44@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        3 years ago

        What do you mean by “mainstream science” ? Is it the scientific consensus ? Is it science as the mainstream media see it ? Is it science as perceived by the majority of people ?

        • obbeel@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          3 years ago

          Fine. It’s just that brain size is supposed to matter in intelligence, but this proves that it might not be the case. Even though it is said that brain to body size makes a difference, crows are just too advanced. And mainstream science would be what the major players in science say it’s true + what the mainstream media says.