Virtual skull: 3D peek at hominid brain
Posted by staff / September 13, 2011
A virtual endocast of a hominid skull that dates back nearly 2 million years raises questions about the evolution of the human brain.
The brain of Australopithecus sediba can be seen in incredible detail, including blood vessels, in this transparent image of the virtual endocast. The researchers estimate that the brain was 420 cubic centimeters, around the size of a grapefruit.
The Australopithecus sediba skull is from the most complete early hominid fossils ever found. While some features of A. sediba were more human-like, most notably the precision-grip hand, the brain was more ape-like, says Emory University anthropologist Dietrich Stout.
“It’s basically a primitive brain that looks a lot like other austrolopiths, although you can see what could be the first glimmerings of a reorganization to a more human pattern.”
Full story at Futurity.
Photo credit: Kristian Carlson, University of Wits
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