Overall, not relative, brain size predicts intelligence.When it comes to estimating the intelligence of various animal species, it may be as simple measuring overall brain size. In fact, making corrections for a species' body size may be a mistake.
"Scientists have generally assumed that this pattern occurs because larger animals require larger nervous systems to coordinate their larger bodies. But our results suggest a simpler reason: larger species are typically smarter."
The findings imply that a re-evaluation may be in order for many previous studies that have compared brain size across different animal species, including ancestral hominids.
More from our friends over at Atomic Surgery.
