Abstract
The evolution of the unique human brain included changes in the pattern of brain growth and development. Therefore investigation of ontogenetic patterns is key to improve our understanding about hominin brain evolution. Important evidence comes from so-called endocasts, i.e. endocranial casts of the bony braincase that approximate brain morphology. The pattern of ontogenetic brain size increase has been investigated for humans, apes, and our fossil relatives based on endocranial volumes and brain weights, and has been related to evolutionary brain size increases found from endocranial volumes. Furthermore, endocranial surface features have been interpreted as impressions of brain convolutions and used to interpret evolutionary brain reorganization. Overall endocranial shape however has been neglected for a long time due to methodological issues around measuring shape. Recent studies have overcome this problem and provided new insights into brain development and evolution. Here I review the current knowledge about the relationships between ontogenetic changes and evolutionary changes in endocranial size and shape and emphasize comparisons between humans and our closest extant and extinct relatives, the chimpanzees and Neanderthals. These comparisons help to understand the evolution of modern humans.
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