Humans Are The Only Animals That Have Chins - Business Insider

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human neanderthal skulls
Notice how the modern skull, on the left, has a point at the bottom of the face compared to the Neanderthal-era skull on the right. That's the chin only modern humans have. Tim Schoon, University of Iowa

Though you've probably never given it a second thought, your chin is something unique to modern humans.

Somewhere along the evolutionary line, our species developed a chin bone while others did not. The reason why we've developed chins has been the subject of much debate in the scientific community, but researchers from the Univeristy of Iowa believe they have finally found the answer.

Until now, researchers have largely attributed our chins to the mechanical force needed to chew our food. However, according to Nathan Holton, an assistant professor and anthropologist in the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Iowa, there is no evidence to support the claim.

Instead, humans may have developed the unique facial feature after becoming more social and less violent, which in turn decreased hormones and altered facial structures. As Phys.Org reports:

What happened was this: Modern humans evolved from hunter-gatherer groups that were rather isolated from each other to increasingly cooperative groups that formed social networks across the landscape. These more connected groups appear to have enhanced the degree to which they expressed themselves in art and other symbolic mediums.

A side effect of this societal change was a drop in hormone levels, especially testosterone. When these hormone levels dropped, our bodies began to change in strange ways. According to Phys.Org:

One big shift was the face became smaller—retrenching in effect—a physiological departure that created a natural opportunity for the human chin to emerge.

So, even though it seems odd, our chins are a constant reminder of a behavioural and societal shift that happened thousands of years ago that made us less violent and more inquisitive.

(h/t Phys.Org)

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