Brain development is similar in Neanderthals and modern humans
Open accessAbstract
While the braincase of adult Neanderthals had a similar volume to that of modern humans from the same period, differences in endocranial shape suggest that brain morphology differed between modern humans and Neanderthals. When and how these differences arose during evolution and development is a topic of ongoing research, with potential implications for species-specific differences in brain and cognitive development, and in life history [1,2]. Earlier research suggested that Neanderthals followed an ancestral mode of brain development, similar to that of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees [2-4]. Modern humans, by contrast, were suggested to follow a uniquely derived mode of brain development just after birth, giving rise to the characteristically globular shape of the adult human brain case [2,4,5]. Here, we re-examine this hypothesis using an extended sample of Neanderthal infants. We document endocranial development during the decisive first two years of postnatal life. The new data indicate that Neanderthals followed largely similar modes of endocranial development to modern humans. These findings challenge the notion that human brain and cognitive development after birth is uniquely derived [2,4].
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Braincase shape depends on a complex interplay between cranial bone growth, facial size, and the tempo and mode of neurodevelopment.
“From the perspective of ontogeny, braincase shape depends on a complex interplay between cranial bone growth, facial size, and the tempo and mode of neurodevelopment [1, 4, 12–14].”
From Neandertal Introgression Sheds Light on Modern Human Endocranial Globularity (2019) · cites this paper as [14]
Given their similar brain sizes, humans and Neanderthals might both have needed a long overall maturation time.
“given their similar brain sizes160, humans and Neanderthals might both have needed a long overall maturation time161,162.”
From A catalog of single nucleotide changes distinguishing modern humans from archaic hominins (2019) · cites this paper as [161]
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- Authors
- Ponce de León, M. S., Bienvenu, T., Akazawa, T., & Zollikofer, C. P. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Kochi University of Technology (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Zollikofer, Christoph P.E.
- Venue
- Current Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-07
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 14
- Pages
- R665-R666
- ISSN
- 0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2506386430
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 45.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Current Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Geometry and Topology › Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Keywords
- Neanderthals, human brain development, braincase morphology, postnatal brain growth, human evolution, cognitive development, life history
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Biological Evolution, Fossils, Humans, Skull, Neanderthals
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