Dean Falk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dean Falk
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Falk in 2017
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| Born | June 25, 1944 (age 80) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Anthropologist |
| Organization | Florida State University |
Dean Falk was born on June 25, 1944. She is an American scientist who studies the brain. She is a neuroanthropologist. This means she looks at how the brain and thinking skills have changed over time in animals like monkeys and humans. Dr. Falk is a professor at Florida State University.
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What Does Dean Falk Study?
Dean Falk studied math and anthropology in college. After earning her PhD in 1976, she taught classes about the body, the brain, and human history. Dr. Falk is very interested in how the brain and our thinking abilities have changed over millions of years.
She came up with some interesting ideas:
- The "radiator theory" suggests that blood vessels in the skull helped human brains grow bigger.
- The "putting the baby down" idea suggests that early mothers and babies helped language develop.
Dr. Falk has also studied the brains of important figures. In 2013, she and her team looked at Albert Einstein's brain using new photos.
The "Hobbit" Human: Homo floresiensis
In 2003, scientists found bones of a small human on an island in Indonesia. This human was nicknamed the "Hobbit" because of its size. Its scientific name is Homo floresiensis. These bones are now known to be over 65,000 years old.
Some scientists thought the "Hobbit" was just a very small human or someone with a condition called microcephaly. This condition causes a very small skull.
Was the Hobbit a New Species?
In 2005, Dr. Falk and her team studied the inside shape of the "Hobbit's" skull. This shape, called an endocast, shows what the brain looked like. Their study suggested that the "Hobbit" was indeed a new type of human species.
Other experts had different ideas. So, in 2007, Dr. Falk worked with an international team. They compared the "Hobbit's" brain shape to those of people with microcephaly. They concluded that the "Hobbit" (LB1) was a new species. It might have come from Homo erectus or an even older, smaller human ancestor.
Dr. Falk's team has shown many times that Homo floresiensis was not a human with microcephaly or other conditions. Today, most experts agree that the "Hobbit" was a distinct species, not a sick or disabled human.
How the Human Brain Evolved
Dr. Falk has done a lot of research on how the human brain changed over time.
Studying Einstein's Brain
In 2013, Dr. Falk led a team that studied the entire outer part of Albert Einstein's brain. This part is called the cerebral cortex. She also worked with other scientists to look at a part of his brain called the corpus callosum. This part connects the two halves of the brain.
Learning from Ancient Brains
In 2014, Dr. Falk wrote about what we can learn about human brain evolution from fossils. Scientists can learn about how brain size changed. They can also see how some parts of the cerebral cortex were reorganized.
The cerebral cortex is a very important part of the human brain. It helps us with:
- Thinking consciously
- Planning
- Language
- Social skills
- Creativity in science, art, and music
Sometimes, the cerebral cortex leaves marks inside skulls. These marks can be seen on endocasts. However, Dr. Falk noted that endocasts don't show the inside parts of the brain. These inner parts also evolved and are very important for memories, feelings, and social interactions. These are things that make humans special.
In 2018, Dr. Falk and her team used MRI scans to study the brains of chimpanzees. They compared these to the brain patterns of ancient human relatives like australopithecines and Homo naledi. This study helped scientists understand more about how the frontal lobe of the brain developed.
See also
- Albert Einstein's brain
