Food for thought

[BobK]

From a nutritional perspective, what is extraordinary about our large brain is how much energy it consumes-- roughly 16 times as much as muscle tissue per unit weight. Yet although humans have much bigger brains relative to body weight than do other primates (three times larger than expected), the total resting energy requirements of the human body are no greater than those of any other mammal of the same size. We therefore use a much greater share of our daily energy budget to feed our voracious brains. In fact, at rest brain metabolism accounts for a whopping 20 to 25 percent of an adult human's energy needs-- far more than the 8 to 10 percent observed in nonhuman primates, and more still than the 3 to 5 percent allotted to the brain by other mammals.

Scientific American Food for thought (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?ep=1&refep=home&articleID=0007B7DC-6738-1DC9-AF71809EC588EEDF)

Interesting article on the relationship between brain size and diet.

[BillyJoe]

In fact, at rest brain metabolism accounts for a whopping 20 to 25 percent of an adult human's energy needs Somehow evolution must have known about this because it started setting up all manner of energy conservation methods right from the very beginning.
Apart from allowing us to survive into the present, this energy conservation resulted not only in the entertaining phenomenon of Optical Illusions but also (on the other side of the ledger) all manner of irrational ideas about the world from goblins to gods.

[rwguinn]

Originally posted by BillyJoe
Somehow evolution must have known about this because it started setting up all manner of energy conservation methods right from the very beginning.
Apart from allowing us to survive into the present, this energy conservation resulted not only in the entertaining phenomenon of Optical Illusions but also (on the other side of the ledger) all manner of irrational ideas about the world from goblins to gods.
Let's not get cause and effect bass-ackwards here? Did we achieve bigger brains because of the conservation methods, or vice-versa? Did we invent gods because of bigger brains, or did the gods give us bigger brains so we could believe?;)

RW

[Yahweh]

"I made you a tuna sandwich today. They say its brainfood... probably because its go so much dolphin in it, and you know how smart they are." - Marge Simpson

[BillyJoe]

rwguinn,

Originally posted by rwguinn
Let's not get cause and effect bass-ackwards here?No, only the ignorant get things backwoods ;)

Originally posted by rwguinn
Did we achieve bigger brains because of the conservation methods? Hmmm.....if it were not for conservation methods out brains would be even bigger....

Originally posted by rwguinn
or vice-versa? (did conservation methods achieve bigger brains?) No, smaller brains.

Originally posted by rwguinn
Did we invent gods because of bigger brains, or did the gods give us bigger brains so we could believe?;) No, it's definitely from simple to complex not vice versa.

BJ