Athena Review Image Archive ™
Homo sapiens and Pan troglodytes skull and brain
Skull and brain of modern human (top) and a male chimpanzee (bottom)
This image compares the skull and brain of an anatomically modern human (Homo sapiens), and a male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).
In comparison to the chimpanzee, the human brain is is dramatically enlarged compared to other cranial components. Most of the human brain's expansion is due to enlargement of a subset of structures, including the neocortex and cerebellum, whereas the brainstem and other brain structures are relatively unmodified, and similar to those of the chimpanzee and other great apes (Holloway et al. 2009).
Reference:
Holloway, Ralph et al. 2009.
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