Placental Hormones Linked to Evolution of Human Intelligence

Swift Summary

• Research led by Alex Tsompanidis at the University of cambridge suggests placental sex hormones, such as oestrogens and androgens, may have influenced human brain evolution.
• The placenta produces high levels of these hormones during pregnancy,which are crucial for fetal development and predict traits like language and social abilities.
• Studies on brain organoids show that testosterone increases cortical cell counts while oestrogens stabilize neural connections.
• Humans reportedly experience higher hormone levels during pregnancy compared to primates; evidence includes differences in estrogen activity between humans and species like chimpanzees or macaques.
• Tsompanidis posits that elevated oestrogen levels contribute to interconnected brains and subtle gender differences in humans versus other primates, aiding larger social group formation.
• David Geary from the University of Missouri adds an choice view: male-male cooperation driven by intergroup conflicts may also shape cognitive evolution.
• Evolutionary insights into placental mechanisms could deepen understanding of neurodiversity traits among humans.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The findings connecting placental sex hormones to human brain development present intriguing implications on both evolutionary biology and medical research. If proven accurate, this understanding can improve India’s health sciences sector due to potential applications in maternal-fetal medicine or neurodevelopmental studies targeting conditions prevalent across demographics here such as autism spectrum disorders or communication difficulties.

Furthermore, India’s research institutions might benefit from exploring adaptive uses for this knowledge amid diverse population challenges in education accessibility and employment inclusion for individuals with neurodiverse traits-offering societal impacts beyond purely academic discourse.

On a broader scale within the context-specific Indian setting prioritizing cross-cultural interconnectedness domains providing critical cultural learning advancements offering unique besides their socio-economic gap bridging remain opportunities now awaiting rigorous implementation adapting wider overseas beliefs aided proper collaborative deeper reasoning future observations contribution Perspective Read More: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2484993