Give the biological reasons for the following statements:
Homo sapiens sapiens is the most highly evolved form of man.
Topic: Homo sapiens sapiens as the most evolved
Answer
Because he has the LARGEST AND MOST DEVELOPED BRAIN in proportion to his body (about 1450 cc, with a highly convoluted cerebrum), a fully ERECT posture, a well-developed CHIN with no brow ridges, and the capacity for ARTICULATE SPEECH, ABSTRACT THOUGHT, tool-making, art and culture — none of which his ancestors possessed to the same degree.
Give TWO kinds of evidence — PHYSICAL (brain, posture, chin) and CULTURAL (speech, art, tool-making). Either alone is a partial answer.
THE BRAIN is the strongest single point, and the comparison makes it concrete: Australopithecus about 500 cc, Homo erectus about 900 cc, Neanderthal about 1450 cc, modern man about 1450 cc but far more convoluted.
SPEECH is the feature that matters most for culture, because it allows knowledge to be passed between individuals and across generations — so each generation need not rediscover what the last one learnt.