4th July 2013: The Incredible Shrinking Brain by Mike McInnes

Name of speaker:
Mike McInnes
Title of talk:
The Incredible Shrinking Brain
Bullet points of what you would like to cover:
- The human brain is shrinking for the first time in our evolutionary history.
- There are two reasons for this – one positive and one wholly negative.
- The human brain is becoming smaller and more efficient.
- The reason for this is that in a bipedal species with a narrow pelvis a larger brain cannot exit the pelvic canal at birth.
- Thus there is a potent evolutionary advantage to having a smaller and more efficient brain.
- Einstein’s brain which was smaller than average and was also more efficient at processing energy than average.