Neoteny

"It is possible to point to at least three mechanisms through which increases in brain size may have taken place. The first is neoteny, a process in which the rate of development slosdown and juvenile stages of predecessors become the adult features of descendants. Because the head of infants is large relative to body size, this proces would have led to "adult babies" with large brains. Many features of our anatomy link us with juvenile stages of primates, including a small face; vaulted cranium; large brain-to-body size ratio; unrotated big toe; upright posture; and primary distribution of hair on head, armpits, and pubic area. We also retain behavioral features of infants, including exploration, play, and flexible behavior. An important part of the answer to the Sphinx's riddle about the nature of humans is that the adult who walks on two legs is sort of an infant chimpanzee."

Lille uddrag fra noget af det, jeg har læst idag... Er det ikke tankevækkende, at mennesket skulle være en spæd chimpanse? Okay, hos nogle mennesker er det ret tydeligt, men alligevel.. ;o)



P.s. Denne her cracks me up, trods "plat-iciteten"... Undskyld alle BSB fans, hvis sådanne stadig findes!