Did Snakes Help Build the Primate Brain?

sciencehabit writes "A new study of the monkey brain suggests that primates are uniquely adapted to recognize the features of snakes and react in a flash. What's more, by selecting for traits that helped animals avoid them, the reptiles ultimately endowed us with forward-facing eyes, for example, and enlarged visual centers deep in our brains that are specialized for picking out specific features in the world around us, such as the general shape of a snake's body camouflaged among leaves.The results lend support to a controversial hypothesis: that primates as we know them would never have evolved without snakes."

Comments

Forward facing eyes

[jklovanc]

I thought they were prevalent on hunting animals because stereoscopic vision was important to depth perception which is critical when attacking another animal. Are snakes the reason for raptors having forward facing eyes too?

Something else that looks like a snake? Vines used by primates to move through jungles.

Restricted Study

[jklovanc]

Compared with three other categories of stimuli (monkey faces, monkey hands, and geometrical shapes), snakes elicited the strongest, fastest responses,

They compared one high value stimulus with a number of low value stimuli. How about adding a few other possibilities to the mix; predators like lions or wolves, prey animals, spiders, birds, etc. We have no idea if these other stimuli would get a greater response and, by their theory, influence primate evolution more. The study is obviously flawed.

Re:Also bird brains

[jklovanc]

The forward facing eyes and huge visual cortex couldn't be because flying through trees and landing on branches requires accurate depth perception and finding food by mainly sight requires acute vision. /sarcasm

Re:Picking up shape from randomized patterns

[hoboroadie]

The random-face-generator in the brain is uncanny in its ability to amuse simple folk like myself. Also pretty tough on youngsters afraid of the dark.

Re:Also bird brains

[RabidReindeer]

The forward facing eyes and huge visual cortex couldn't be because flying through trees and landing on branches requires accurate depth perception and finding food by mainly sight requires acute vision. /sarcasm

Or that prey animals are prone to have side-facing eyes to see possible threats all around, but predators have front-facing eyes because they're more concerned with attacking than in being attacked.

Africa is full of felines who love to snack on monkey-like creatures, but we don't have that instinctive revulsion for cats that we do for snakes.

Re:Picking up shape from randomized patterns

[cusco]

Perhaps a more important differentiation to an arboreal animal would be snakes and branches. One represents safety, the other danger (and possibly lunch).