Myopia, intelligence, and the expanding human neocortex: Behavioral influences and evolutionary implications

The first two parts of this monograph document that areas of the human neocortex heavily used to cope with a complex, language-driven society have been expanding rapidly - and suggest strongly that this is linked with the huge upsurge that's occurred in myopia, and with the large gradual 20th-century increase in measured intelligence. Part III proposes mechanisms capable of supporting such rapid changes, without violating the basic precepts of Darwin's thinking. Part IV discusses the social and evolutionary ramifications of our apparent proclivity for rapid, progressive, adaptive neocortical change, and suggests areas for productive research.