Why did human beings evolve such powerful brains 30,000 yrs. ago when they did not need such big brains?

Question

Physiologically, the human brain has not changed in 30,000 years (probably 50,000)

It doesn't make sense! Why did the human brain evolve to be so large when all that intellectual capacity was of not value. The massive human brain can do calculus, write, read and play Beethoven, and learn seven languages ... but what good would that have done priomitive man evolutionarily?

Answer 1

The big increase in brain size was caused when our primitive ancestors began to gossip. They would communicate with each other and talk about where to find food and who and what is around to avoid etc... no c**p... its in my psychology book "Mapping the Mind" by Rita Carter

I'd copy from it but I'm not at home

Answer 2

At least two genes affecting to brain function are less than 30,000 years old ASPM and MCPH1.

The lives of prehistoric humans were still pretty demanding. Mistakes could easily become fatal, like eating the wrong berries, or being rude to the chief from the neighbouring tribe. Such things will select out the stupid pretty quickly.

Answer 3

Because they were created in the image of God, Who also has a brain.

Answer 4

It depends on which human ancestor you are referring to.  It is known that Neanderthal had a nice sized brain capable of speech, but analysis of the spinal column show that the passageways for the nerve fibers were too narrow to support the thickness of the nerve fibers that allow us to speak.

One main theory of why we evolved the brains that we did has to do with protein.  When we started consuming large amounts of protein it could have led to a rapid development of brain encephalization.

It is not brain size that matters, what matters is the brain's encephalization, elephants for example have larger brains than we do, but they have a lower encephalization than we do.

Answer 5

It's probably, we never learned how to use our brains to our full potential. And I believe we can even learn hundreds of languages, not only seven. Prehistoric men probably started agriculture which gave us more nutrition, then their brains grew until their present size. We, the modern peoples, need to have better education to develop our full potentials.

Answer 6

Plenty. Try relating all your social interactions of the week. Complex, no?

Answer 7

It helped man adapt to every environment on earth.  No other species is so widespread over the earth. Being able to adapt to changes in climate and environment insured survival.

Answer 8

are you saying that the physical size of the human brain has not changed? If you are, brain size and skull size does not matter as far as intellect is concerned. The brain is magnificently complex and we have yet to discover even half of our own potential. Think of your brain as a complex video game. You have to unlock one level before you can get to another. If you have no situation arise that would necessitate going into one level, you will never unlock another level. Cavemen had no reason to do math. They were primitive hunters and gatherers. They survived basically by instinct and their brains learned what it was they needed to know. Think what our lives would be like without education. Consider if our ancestors had never deemed education necessary. There would be no cars, no computers, no electricity. These inventors unlocked the new level in their brains to discover or create these things and they taught others how.

Answer 9

Maybe because God wanted people to have powerful brains for the same reason parents hope that their children are smart.

Answer 10

You are exactly right, it doesn't make sense.  Good thinking.

Look now at this!!  The evolutionists came and gave me thumbs down.  What a bummer.  A person can't give a correct answer without the  evolutionists shooting it down because of a false theory which has never been proved.  I didn't thumbs down there wrong answers. :) :) :).  I allow them to have an opinion, even if it is flawed.

Answer 11

The brain has logically not changed significantly for a few hundred thousand years since Neanderthals have similar if not larger brains.  You probably grossly underestimate the amount of knowledge needed by primitive hunter gatherer peoples.  That is apparently why it has been steadily tending larger in the fossil record for the last 3 million years for probable human ancestors or close relatives.

Answer 12

ask the same thing about chimps, our brains are not that different.  ask the same about whales

Answer 13

they obviously needed to evolve.....mutations are known to have a cause and effect