The modern human (homo sapiens) may be proud of having a large brain volume of 1350 cubic centimeters.
A seven-year-old Neanderthal skeleton that lived 49,000 years ago. (Paleoanthropology Group MNCN-CSIC)
Science Lovers - The modern human (homo sapiens) may be proud of having a large brain volume of 1350 cubic centimeters. With such a large brain, the way of thinking and modern human culture is relatively more advanced than previous ancestors.
However, this advantage has its own risks. Modern humans need great energy as well to reach the brain volume so that our growth becomes slower than other primates.
Then, what about the Neanderthals whose brain volume is 1,400 cubic centimeters?
The latest study, published in the journal Science on September 22, 2017, states that with larger brain volumes, Neanderthal brain development also takes longer time than modern humans.
To achieve this conclusion, since March 2017 researchers studied the 49,000-year-old nearly 49,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton that is almost complete and preserved in El Sidrón, Spain.
They cut the skeleton and count the number of growth layers to know their age. This is similar to calculating the age of the tree through the number of rings in the tree trunk.
It is estimated that the Neanderthal boy was 7.7 years old when he died. The exact cause of death from Neanderthal children is not known, but researchers are quite sure that the cause is neither pain nor trauma.
Due to his young age, small Neanderthals have not had a maximal brain, only 87.5 percent of the average brain size of an adult Neanderthal. When compared with modern humans, its growth also seems slower.
"We think the brain of this Neanderthal boy is still growing in volume," said one of the authors Antonio Rosas who is also the Chair of the Paleoanthropology Group at the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Spain, as compiled from Live Science on Thursday (21/09/2017).
"At the same age, the modern human brain will reach nearly 95 percent of its volume," he added.
Rosas said that research shows the size of the Neanderthal brain volume makes the time it takes to grow longer. This condition also occurs in a number of Neanderthal spine that has not been fused. In fact, in modern humans, the spine has been fused when reaching the age of 4-6 years.
"It took a little longer for the brain to grow in Neanderthals than modern humans," Rosas said.
However, the development of other Neanderthal anatomy is similar to that of modern humans of the same age. According to Rosas, the common pattern of both may be inherited by a common ancestor.
"We always think that slow growth is very specific, very special, and very unique to our species only.What we realize now is the slow growth pattern that allows us to have this big brain, with all the advantages that go with it, it also belongs to the species other humans, "Rosas said.
