Allen Lab
Evolution of the primate brain
PI: Kari Allen, PhD
The Allen Lab explores the evolution of brain size and skull shape in primates using medical imaging, phylogenetic comparative statistics, and three-dimensional morphometric methods. The purpose of this research is to determine the timing and order of acquisition of traits in brain and body size evolution and to use this information to evaluate various hypotheses concerning ecological pressures selecting for large brains and changes in brain proportions in humans and their closest relatives.