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Early Jurassic mammaliaforms offer clues to how the mammalian brain evolved, but the evidence does not show that one tiny predator directly led to the human brain. A 2011 study used X-ray tomography to examine fossils of Morganucodon and Hadrocodium and identified two evolutionary pulses of relative brain expansion, alongside changes in sensory and motor regions.
What the Jurassic fossils reveal
The study, “Fossil evidence on origin of the mammalian brain,” examined the Early Jurassic mammaliaforms Morganucodon and Hadrocodium using X-ray tomography. Tomography let researchers study fossil anatomy relevant to brain size and structure. The abstract reports that relative brain size expanded toward mammalian levels in two evolutionary pulses, with enlarged olfactory bulbs, neocortex, olfactory (pyriform) cortex, and cerebellum. Read the study abstract on PubMed.
These findings concern relative brain size and the development of associated regions; they do not provide a simple measure of how large either animal’s brain was in absolute terms. The abstract does not give detailed measurements or a sample size, so it cannot support a numerical comparison between the two animals.
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How brain evolution unfolded in stages
The first pulse: sensory and motor changes
The authors propose that the initial expansion was probably linked to improved olfaction, tactile sensitivity associated with body hair, and neuromuscular coordination. “Probably” matters: this is an interpretation of the fossil evidence, not a directly observed explanation of what drove the change.
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A further olfactory enhancement
The study also describes a later enhancement of olfaction at the origin of crown Mammalia, associated with ossified ethmoid turbinals. This is a distinct development in the broader sequence, not evidence that the earlier mammaliaforms already had every feature of later mammals.
What this means for the human brain
The fossils help illuminate broad evolutionary changes that preceded modern mammals. They do not establish that Morganucodon or Hadrocodium was a direct human ancestor, or that either species uniquely caused or enabled the human brain. The headline’s “paved the way” is best understood as a broad evolutionary metaphor: early changes in relative brain size and sensory anatomy are part of the history from which later mammalian brains emerged.
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Nor does the study abstract establish that either animal was a predator. “Mammaliaforms” is the supported description for this account; a dietary label would require separate evidence.
What fossil brain evidence can—and cannot—show
Fossil anatomy can provide evidence about brain size and the relative development of regions associated with particular functions. Here, the reported patterns include olfactory bulbs, neocortex, pyriform cortex, and cerebellum, as well as anatomy linked to olfaction. But the abstract’s findings do not amount to a complete reconstruction of behavior, intelligence, or the precise route from Jurassic mammals to humans.
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- Supported: the researchers used X-ray tomography on fossils of two Early Jurassic mammaliaforms and reported two pulses of relative brain expansion.
- Proposed, not certain: the initial pulse was probably related to better smell, hair-associated tactile sensitivity, and neuromuscular coordination.
- Not established by the abstract: detailed brain measurements, a direct ancestry link to humans, or a predator classification for these animals.
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