Human Brains is an Open Educational Resource (OER) that explores what makes the human brain unique by comparing our brain to other mammals, tracing evolutionary changes, and investigating how cultural and social factors shaped brain evolution. Rather than simply assuming human brains must be special, we need to carefully consider what exactly sets them apart, from their number of neurons to their extended developmental timeline.

Drawing from neuroscience, anthropology, developmental psychology and other fields, this resource provides an accessible exploration of how human brains evolved in concert with our bodies, behaviors, and social structures. It emphasizes how understanding human brain evolution requires looking beyond just brain size to consider the interplay between neural development, childhood learning, and cultural transmission across generations.

This resource consists of a set of documents written by Peter J. Marshall.  For background on this OER project as well as reading tips and information on licensing and attribution, see this page.  

Each of the documents on the site explores a key question about the human brain and human origins: 

Big Brains

What makes our brains unique compared with other mammals? 

Human Childhood

How is the long human childhood related to the uniqueness of our species? 

Embodied Brains

How did the interplay between cultural innovations and biological evolution transform human bodies, brains, and cognitive abilities over the past two million years? 

Social Brains

How has the complexity of human social life shaped the evolution of Homo Sapiens? 

Sharing Stories

How did the emergence of language and narrative transform human society by enabling unprecedented forms of knowledge sharing and social coordination?