Revolutionary Study Challenges Long-Held Belief on Brain and Body Size Relationship in Animals

A research team led by Chris Venditti from the University of Reading, UK, has found that the relationship between body size and brain size in animals is not linear, contradicting the century-old belief. The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, reveals that large animals have proportionally smaller brains, with exceptions found in humans, primates, rodents, and carnivores.

A new study challenges the long-standing belief that a bigger body necessarily means a bigger brain. Researchers, led by Chris Venditti from the University of Reading, UK, have discovered that the relationship between body and brain size in animals is not linear, but curved.

For more than a century, scientists thought that larger animals had proportionally larger brains. However, the latest findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, indicate that large animals actually have relatively smaller brains.

Humans, known for their massive brains compared to body size, are exceptions, along with primates, rodents, and carnivores, whose brain sizes have increased relative to their bodies over time. The study also suggests that big brains might be too costly to maintain in extremely large animals.

(With inputs from agencies.)