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HONG KONG: Researchers have seemingly solved the mystery as to why only humans of all mammals have chins and according to them it all comes down to the invention of cooking and availability of softer food.
There have been quite a few different theories explaining why humans have chins and some even claimed that it was to help us attract a mate.
However, a new research at the University of Florida suggests the chin began to emerge as a consequence of major changes six million years earlier.
The arrival of cooking and softer food meant humans no longer needed big teeth and powerful jaws, and over the next two million years both got smaller and the chin was born, ‘The Independent’ reported.
Researchers led by anthropologist Dr James Pampush collected chin data from over 100 primate species and compared it with historical data.
Computer modelling traced the shifting orientation of the front of the jaw and the rate at which the chin evolved.
The study suggests the chin is what is known as a spandrel – an evolutionary by-product of another event. In this case, the event could well be the advent of cooking.
