Evolutionary Pathways in Brain Morphology, Development, and Behavior in the Primate Lineage.

Abstract

The article collection 'How Primates Became the Brainiest of All Mammals: A Closer Look at the Evolution of the Primate and Human Cortex' presents a wide-ranging analysis of encephalization across primates and humans. The papers in the collection tackle multiple classic themes in primatology, from brain ontogeny and relative brain size to cortical reorganization and metabolism. Taken together, the contributions reveal how the primate brain is more than a scaled-up version of the basic mammalian design. The primate brain uniquely evolved towards the cognitive scaffolding that ultimately brought about modern humans.