Somewhere over on yon shelf there is a book with an interesting bit on wolves, dogs, problem-solving and brain sizes in wild vs. domesticates. It'll have to wait for another day. I found
Mind of the Raven first, which has a Chapter 27
Brains and Brain Volume.
Just some highlights:
"…in general, brain size increases proportionately to body mass. If brain size is greater than what would be predicted by body size alone, that is called the 'residual factor', and is a measure of the brains 'encephalization'. Humans are some of the most encephalized animals in the world, second only to some species of dolphins [ravens are the most encephalized bird]…
We intuitively infer that intelligence is correlated to brain size, and this inference is generally supported by a variety of criteria. It is also true, however, that we can't credibly claim that one species is more intelligent than another unless we specify intelligent with respect to what, since each animal lives in a different world of its own sensory inputs and decoding mechanisms of those inputs
Brain tissue is metabolically as active and hence as expensiveas muscle, and it is active day and night. Our brain accounts for only about 1.5 percent of our body weight, but it demands about 20 percent of our energy supply".
On a quick logic check:
Originally posted by JamisonBWolsh
you forget to mention that ELEPHANT noses uses more of that brain because of the function of the electrical organ. They need ALOt more o2 to the brain so they can use it more (as said in the scientific article).
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doesn't that mean that they're not using it for thinking?
As far as that vastly more intelligent than our predecessors bit, Neanderthals had a larger brain case than we do, absolutely and relatively. Quite a bit larger.