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Changes in perinatal conditions selected for neonatal immaturity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2001

Sonia Ragir
Sonia Ragir
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, College of Staten Island, Staten Island, NY 10314 Ragir@ulster.net
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Abstract

The mechanics of walking restructured the pelvis and narrowed the birth-canal that selected for delays in skeletal ossification. Prolonged phases of fetal maturation increased the mass and volume of the brain relative to adult body-size, as encephalization increased. Thus, bipedal- walking and episodic increases in hominine body size probably triggered selection for neonatal skeletal immaturity that led to encephalization.

Type
Brief Report
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , April 2001 , pp. 291 - 292
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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