Which of these statements best summarizes the relationship between the birth canal and brain size during the course of hominin evolution?

A. Natural selection has struck a balance between the structural demands of upright posture in bipedalism, which limits the expansion of the pelvic opening, and the tendency toward increased brain size.
B. Brain size has become more important than bipedalism over the course of hominin evolution, and the pelvic opening has continually expanded to compensate for larger brains.
C. The birth canal has become narrower throughout hominin evolution, even as brain size has continued to increase.
D. Natural selection has favored a tendency toward decreased brain size and a reduction in the size of the pelvic opening throughout hominin evolution.
E. The human pelvic opening has continually expanded to allow for increased brain size, but the upright posture of bipedalism has been unaffected by these structural changes.


Answer: A

Anthropology & Archaeology

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