Editing Homininae (section)

===Brain size evolution===
{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2020}}
There has been a gradual increase in brain volume ([[brain size]]) as the ancestors of modern humans progressed along the [[timeline of human evolution]], starting from about 600&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup> in ''[[Homo habilis]]'' up to 1500&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup> in ''[[Homo neanderthalensis]]''. However, modern ''Homo sapiens'' have a brain volume slightly smaller (1250&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup>) than Neanderthals, women have a brain slightly smaller than men and the Flores hominids (''[[Homo floresiensis]]''), nicknamed hobbits, had a cranial capacity of about 380&nbsp;cm<sup>3</sup> (considered small for a chimpanzee), about a third of the ''[[Homo erectus]]'' average. It is proposed that they evolved from ''H. erectus'' as a case of insular dwarfism.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} In spite of their smaller brain, there is evidence that ''H. floresiensis'' used fire and made stone tools at least as sophisticated as those of their proposed ancestors ''H. erectus''.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Brown P, Sutikna T, Morwood MJ, Soejono RP, Saptomo EW, Due RA | title = A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia | journal = Nature | volume = 431 | issue = 7012 | pages = 1055–61 | date = October 2004 | pmid = 15514638 | doi = 10.1038/nature02999| bibcode = 2004Natur.431.1055B | s2cid = 26441 | url = http://doc.rero.ch/record/15287/files/PAL_E2586.pdf }}</ref> In this case, it seems that for intelligence, the structure of the brain is more important than its size.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davidson |first=I. |chapter=As large as you need and as small as you can—implications of the brain size of ''Homo floresiensis'' |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/218472 |editor-first=A.C. |editor-last=Schalley |editor2-first=D. |editor2-last=Khlentzos |title=Mental States: Evolution, function, nature; 2. Language and cognitive structure |publisher=John Benjamins |year=2007 |isbn=978-9027231055 |pages=35–42 |volume=92–93 |series=Studies in language companion}}</ref>

The current size of the human brain is a big distinguishing factor that separates humans from other primates. Recent examination of the human brain shows that the brain of a human is about more than four times the size of [[great ape]]s and 20 times larger than the brain size of [[Old World monkey|old world monkeys]]. A study<ref name="Wang-2004">{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Yin-qiu |last2=Su |first2=Bing |date=2004-06-01 |title=Molecular evolution of microcephalin, a gene determining human brain size |journal=Human Molecular Genetics |language=en |volume=13 |issue=11 |pages=1131–1137 |doi=10.1093/hmg/ddh127 |pmid=15056608 |issn=1460-2083|doi-access=free }}</ref> was conducted to help determine the evolution of the brain size within the sub family Homininae that tested the genes ASPM ([[ASPM (gene)|abnormal spindle-like microcephaly]] associated) and MCHP1 [[Microcephalin|(microcephalin-1]]) and their association with the human brain. In this study researchers discovered that the increase in brain size is correlated to the increase of both ASP and MCPH1. MCPH1 is very polymorphic in humans compared to [[gibbon]]s, [[Old World monkey]]s. This gene helps encourage the growth of the brain. Further research indicated that the MCPH1 gene in humans could have also been an encouraging factor of population expansion. Other researchers have included that the diet was an encouraging factor to brain size as protein intake increased this helped brain development.<ref name="Wang-2004"/>