Big Brain Energy: The Metabolic Contributions of the Gut Microbiome and its Implications for Encephalization in Early Homo
Open AccessHomo sapiens remain atypical both within the hominin lineage and within extant primates due to our relatively large brain to body size ratio and our unique life history traits, such as the birth of altricial young and a prolonged period of childhood development. Previous literature has suggested that changing energy budgets and allocations due to an increasingly high quality diet and efficient locomotive behavior are responsible for the evolution of these uniquely human traits and development patterns. However, within the hominin fossil and archaeological record, a high quality diet is seen long before a significant expansion of either brain or body size in Homo erectus. It is possible another factor contributed to brain encephalization that the archaeological record has failed to capture. Here, I examine how the metabolic contributions of the gut microbiome and its role in producing an energy surplus to potentially offset the costs of an encephalized brain in an original comics analysis of previously published fecal microbiome data.
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Jacobson_gwu_0075M_15990.pdf | 2022-10-04 | Open Access |
|
|
|
MaAslin_sig_results.xlsx | 2022-10-04 | Open Access |
|
|
|
TYPE.pdf | 2022-10-04 | Open Access |
|
|
|
Data.xlsx | 2022-10-04 | Open Access |
|
|
|
Meta_Data.xlsx | 2022-10-04 | Open Access |
|