Does size matter?

It's quality, not quantity, when it comes to intelligence, suggests an article in the New Scientist. And communication is the key, as in the best of relationships: the ability of neurons to relay messages efficiently to each other is crucial to how well the brain performs.

At any rate, a bigger brain isn't necessarily a better brain, and a celebrated case in point is the size of Albert Einstein's brain, which, at 1230g was almost too light compared to that of the average human male. Between species, however, brain size with relation to body size (more accurately: brain to body mass, referred to as the encephalisation quotient, or EQ) does matter: in Homo sapiens, the mean EQ value is commonly cited as 7.0, compared to 1.5-3.0 for all great apes and some monkey species. Dolphins and porpoises have an EQ of around 4.5, which makes them the most intelligent species on the planet after humans, on the basis of EQ measurements and our definition of intelligence, of course. Which, given the briefest look at history and the daily news, seems to include plenty of unintelligence.

Image via mr. mxylplyx

'Le Brun, Charles (1619-1690)

Head of a bearded man, seen from above, 
the top of the skull removed. INV 28235; GM 6563.

Location : Louvre, Paris, France. 
Photo Credit : Réunion des Musées Nationaux / Art Resource, NY '