Sunday, March 25, 2007

WIRED Blogs: 27B Stroke 6

WIRED Blogs: 27B Stroke 6: "In news that is sure to set the mind of climate change denialist Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) a spinnin', two head shrinkers at the University at Albany will soon publish research that suggests the human brain grew dramatically as our ancestors adapted to colder temperatures.

Jessica Ash and Gordon Gallup studied 109 fossilized skulls from different latitudes to determine that 'climate may have been an important selective force behind the evolution of human cranial capacity,' according to Gallup, who theorized that changes in global temperature could account for as much as 50 percent of the variation in headmeat. 'Specifically, we found that as the distance from the equator increased, north or south, so did brain size,' he said. The researchers will publish their study in the spring edition of Human Nature."

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