Human vs. Chimpanzee Brain - How do we Measure Up?

Why is the human brain so much bigger and more powerful than that of our closest relatives, the chimpanzees?

The answer may lie in regions of our DNA called human accelerated regions, or HARs. These stretches of genetic code don’t make proteins themselves, but they do control when and where other brain genes are turned on or off during development. As our species evolved, small but significant changes built up in our HARs, changing how our brain cells grow, connect, and communicate.

The result? A brain that’s larger, more complex, and capable of everything from language to space travel.