The enduring puzzle of the human chin
Abstract
Although modern humans are considered to be morphologically distinct from other living primates because of our large brains, dexterous hands, and bipedal gait, all of these features are found among extinct hominins. The chin, however, appears to be a uniquely modern human trait. Probably because of the chin's exclusivity, many evolutionary scenarios have been proposed to explain its origins. To date, researchers have developed adaptive hypotheses relating chins to speech, mastication, and sexual selection; still others see it as a structural artifact tangentially related to complex processes involving evolutionary retraction of the midfacial skeleton. Consensus has remained elusive, partly because hypotheses purporting to explain how this feature developed uniquely in modern humans are all fraught with theoretical and/or empirical shortcomings. Here we review a century's worth of chin hypotheses and discuss future research avenues that may provide greater insight into this human peculiarity.
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The large midface, chinless jaws and enlarged brow ridges of Middle Pleistocene hominins make up a suite of features adapted to masticatory or paramasticatory uses.
“the large midface, chinless jaws and enlarged brow ridges of MP hominins make up a suite of features adapted to masticatory or paramasticatory uses 59,60,65,66”
From The evolutionary history of the human face (2019) · cites this paper as [66]
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The Fetal Origin of the Human Chin
Coquerelle, M., Prados‐Frutos, J. C., Rojo, R., Drake, A. G., Murillo‐González, J., & Mitterœcker, P. (2017) · Evolutionary Biology · doi:10.1007/s11692-017-9408-9 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
The biting performance of Homo sapiens and Homo heidelbergensis
Godinho, R. M., Fitton, L. C., Toro-Ibacache, V., Stringer, C. B., Lacruz, R. S., Bromage, T. G., & O'Higgins, P. (2018) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.010 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
What is a trait? Lessons from the human chin
Meneganzin, A., Ramsey, G., & DiFrisco, J. (2024) · Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B Molecular and Developmental Evolution · doi:10.1002/jez.b.23249 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
When domes are spandrels: on septation in turritellids (Cerithioidea) and other gastropods
Anderson, B. M., & Allmon, W. D. (2018) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/pab.2018.12 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.001.0001 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
The Masticatory Apparatus of Humans (Homo sapiens): Evolution and Comparative Functional Morphology
Vinyard, C. J., Teaford, M. F., Wall, C. E., & Taylor, A. B. (2019) · Fascinating life sciences · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-13739-7_21 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Low internal air space in plants with crassulacean acid metabolism may be an anatomical spandrel
Leverett, A., Borland, A. M., Inge, E. J., & Hartzell, S. (2023) · Annals of Botany · doi:10.1093/aob/mcad109 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Pampush, J. D., Scott, J. E., Robinson, C. A., & Delezene, L. K. (2018) · Journal of Human Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.06.006 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citationMay chin be considered a distinctive anatomical feature of a human skull?
Nikolenko, V. N., Zharikov, Y. O., Zhdanovskaya, M. G., Zharov, N. A., Zharikova, T. S., Pontes‐Silva, A., & Zharova, N. V. (2024) · Medical Hypotheses · doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2024.111302 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
A Novel Cephalometric Approach Aiming to Quantify a Normal Range of Bony Chin Protrusion
Chu, J., Basyuni, S., Moore, S., Ferro, A., Chang, C. Y., Patel, K., Jeremiah, H. G., Brassett, C., & Santhanam, V. (2022) · Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery · doi:10.1007/s12663-022-01784-5 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.002.0006 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Goovaerts, S., Devine, J., Claessens, N., Gabbita, S., Deprest, J., Pauwels, K., Herrick, N., Mohammed, J., Mounier, A., Sofer, T., et al. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2025.12.29.696848 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Is the human chin a spandrel? Insights from an evolutionary analysis of ape craniomandibular form
von Cramon‐Taubadel, N., Scott, J. E., Robinson, C. A., & Schroeder, L. D. (2026) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0340278 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Effects of In-utero Thyroxine Exposure On Mandibular Shape in Mice
Kesterke, M. J. (2016) · D-Scholarship@Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Evolutionary Origins of Toothache
Turaman, C. (2022) · Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research · doi:10.26717/bjstr.2022.46.007376 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0005 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0004 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0007 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Taylor, A. B. (2018) · The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology · doi:10.1002/9781118584538.ieba0109
Evolutionary Origins of ORL Disorders
Turaman, C. (2022) · International Journal of Family Medicine & Healthcare · doi:10.33425/2833-0382.1007
Findings on chin development and anatomy: a review of the literature
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Leading with the chin: facial rejuvenation of the lower third
Meinecke, G. (2024) · Journal of Aesthetic Nursing · doi:10.12968/joan.2024.13.3.68
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0006
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.002.0007
Comparing and integrating approaches
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0008
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.002.0003
A history of evolution and human behaviour
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0002
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0001
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.003.0003
Brown, G. R., & Laland, K. N. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198908203.002.0005
Mental Eminence in the Historical, Surgical and Anthropological Perspective: A Scoping Review
Vaccarezza, M., Varotto, E., Galassi, F. M., Taurone, S., Cofone, L., Artico, M., & Papa, V. (2025) · Anatomia · doi:10.3390/anatomia4040017
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Maddux, S. D., & Franciscus, R. G. (2026) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316756492.005
Davies, H., Houlton, T. M. R., Mânica, S., Pandey, H., Somjai, E., & García-Donas, J. G. (2026) · Forensic Science International · doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2026.113174
- Authors
- Pampush, J. D., & Daegling, D. J.
- Corresponding author
- Pampush, James D.
- Venue
- Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2016-01-02
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 20-35
- ISSN
- 1060-1538 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-6505
- OpenAlex
- W2292306264
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 110
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 14.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Evolutionary Anthropology Issues News and Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Geometry and Topology › Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
- Keywords
- chin, mandibular symphysis, human evolution, speech evolution, mastication, sexual selection
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Animals, Anthropology, Physical, Chin, Female, Humans, Male, Marriage, Speech, Hominidae, Neanderthals
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