Module 3: Cranial Capacity
SLOs:
– Students will understand differences in cranial capacity (Australopithecus sediba = 420 cc, Homo sapiens = 1300 cc, Homo neanderthalensis = 1500 cc) and how it is used to deduce brain-to-body size ratio or encephalization quotient
– Students will be able to explain the social brain hypothesis (i.e. that brain size- neocortex- is important when considering social behavior/group size- neocortex = understanding what others are thinking). Consider the following line of evidence: individuals with larger brains are more successful socially à increased fitness à pass these genes off to offspring (BUT must have strong selection pressure to move population towards larger brain size)
– Students will understand Dunbar’s number (size of social network) and the costs/benefits of social living (farther to forage for food, extra energy, physiological costs vs. harder to be hunted)
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19575315
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/humans-evolved-big-brains-to-be-social-122425811/
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23045905
http://changingminds.org/explanations/groups/dunbars_number.htm
- Curriculum Connections:
- NGSS (2013)- LS4
- AP Biology (2012-2013)- 1, 6, 15
- IB Biology (2016)- 5
Crania to highlight: Australopithecus sediba, Homo sapiens, and Homo neanderthalensis