Thank you!Ygggdrasil said:I don't have any particular expertise on this topic, but a good source to search the scientific literature in the biological sciences is pubmed.gov
For example, the searching for human evolution fontanelles gives three papers that might be a good starting point (all three papers appear to be freely available in case you don't have access to a university library system):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=human+evolution+fontanelles+&sort=date
Fontanelles are the soft spots on a baby's skull where the bones have not yet fully fused together. They are important in human birth because they allow the baby's head to compress and change shape during delivery, making it easier to pass through the birth canal.
The presence of fontanelles in a baby's skull allows for the bones to overlap and compress during delivery, effectively reducing the size of the baby's head and making it easier to pass through the birth canal.
In most cases, fontanelles pose no risk during birth. However, if the fontanelles are unusually large or small, it may indicate an underlying health issue that could complicate the delivery. Additionally, if the fontanelles close too early, it can lead to developmental issues in the baby.
No, not all mammals have fontanelles. Primates, including humans, have fontanelles due to the relatively large size of our brains at birth. Other mammals with relatively large brains, such as dolphins and elephants, also have fontanelles.
While the size and shape of fontanelles can give some indication of the difficulty of labor, there are many other factors that play a role in the birthing process. These include the size and shape of the pelvis, the position of the baby, and the strength of the mother's contractions. Therefore, fontanelles should not be the sole factor in determining the difficulty of labor for a pregnant woman.