Stuff Your Dad Knows

Ethan Millard is joined by Rebecca Cressman, midday host at FM100.3. Ethan comes from a family of big heads. They have big heads. A few of them have ridiculously big heads. It's a family trait. His parents always said "big head, big brains". Is that true? Is your brain big because your head is big? And does that make you smarter? Of course a larger brain would require more space in a larger skull, but a large head could also be caused by thicker bone or a lot of musculature. Our heads are full of muscles. That can make your head look bigger. Researchers at the University of Tennessee did a study and found that human skulls are larger than they were in 1825. Our heads have grown 1/3 inch taller and have about a tennis ball worth of extra brain space. Some scientists believe that our modern lifestyle has done this. Humans enjoy more calories and less strenuous work today than in 1825. Another theory is that because of modern medicine, more large headed babies are born. In 1825, a lot of large heads would have f