Study Challenges Gradual Evolution of Human Intelligence
A new study published in PNAS reveals that the evolution of larger brains in modern humans, Neanderthals, and their relatives occurred gradually over millions of years, rather than through sudden leaps between species. Researchers from the University of Reading, Oxford, and Durham used a comprehensive fossil dataset and advanced methods to demonstrate steady brain size growth driven by gradual adaptation within species. This challenges previous theories of dramatic evolutionary changes and highlights the complexity of brain evolution.