Longer yawns a sign of bigger brain size?
Q. Longer yawns mean a _____ brain size, scientists have found.- Published on 12 Oct 16a. Bigger
b. Smaller
c. Medium
d. None of the above
ANSWER: Bigger
Scientists have found that a longer yawn may correlate to a bigger brain size as per a new study which found animals with bigger brains are more variable in terms of the length of their yawns
- Researchers from New York State University in the US observed 29 mammals yawning to calculate the average length of their yawns
- Animals then had their brain weight documented
- When the numbers were put together, researchers realised that brain weight and the number of neutrons in the outer layer of the brain called the cortex can reliably predict yawn length
- Studies showed that gorillas, horses, walruses and African elephants may have huge sizes, but the have shorter yawns as the size of their brains is smaller than that of humans.
- The research team also found that animals with bigger brains were more variable in the length of their yawns
- More intelligent animals have different types of yawn in response to different stimuli while less intelligent ones have only one type of yawn.
- Mean and variance in yawn duration are strong predictors of mammalian brain weight and cortical neuron number.
