Publications

Top tier publications listed in blue. Lab members highlighted in bold. *graduate student co-author; **undergraduate student co-author.

2022

50. Keirnan A, Worthy TH, Smaers JB, Mardon K, Iwaniuk AN & Weisbecker V. Not like night and day: the nocturnal letter-winged kite does not differ from diurnal congeners in orbit or endocast morphology. Royal Society Open Science 9 (5): 220135.

2021

49. O’Brien HD, Smaers JB, Gignac PM. Unexpected bite-force conservatism as a stable performance foundation across Mesoeucrocodylian historical diversity. The Anatomical Record.

48. Borries C, Smaers JB, Mongle CS & Koenig A. The effect of data provenance on estimates of gestation length in Afrian and Asian colobines. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 176 (4): 606-613.

47. Smaers JB, Rothman RS*, Hudson DR*, Balanoff AM, Beatty B, Dechmann DKN, de Vries D, Dunn JC, Fleagle JG, Gilbert CC, Goswami A, Iwaniuk AN, Jungers WL, Kerney M*, Ksepka DT, Manger PR, Mongle CS, Rohlf FJ, Smith NA, Soligo C, Weisbecker V, Safi K. 2021. The evolution of mammalian brain size. Science Advances 7: eabe2101. (pdf)

2020

46. Bowling DR, Dunn JC, Smaers JB, Garcia M, Sato A, Hantke G, Handschuh S, Dengg S, Kerney M, Kitchener A, Gumpenberger M & Fitch WT. Rapid evolution of the primate larynx? PLoS Biology 18(8): e3000764. (pdf)

45. Sherwood CC, Miller SB, Karl M, Stimpson CD, Phillips KM, Jacobs B, Hof PR, Raghanti MA & Smaers JB. Invariant synapse density and neuronal connectivity scaling in primate neocortical evolution. Cerebral Cortex 30 (10): 5604-5615.

44. Mongle CS*, Koenig A, Samonds KE, Smaers JB & Borries C. Costly teeth? Gestation length in primates suggests that neonate dentition is not expensive to produce. Anatomical Record. 303(9): 2476-2484.

43. Ksepka DT, Balanoff AM, Smith NA, Bever GS, Bhullar B-AS, Bourdon E, Braun EL, Burleigh JG, Clarke JA, Colbert MW, Corfield JR, Degrange FJ, De Pietri VL, Early CM, Field DJ, Gignac PM, Gold ME, Kimball RT, Kawabe S, Lefebvre L, Marugan-Lobon J, Mongle CS*, Morhardt A, Norell MA, Ridgley RC, Rothman RS*, Scofield RP, Tambussi CP, Torres CR, van Tuinen M, Walsh SA, Watanabe A, Witmer LM, Wright AM, Zanno LE, Jarvis ED & Smaers JB (2020). Tempo and Pattern of Avian Brain Size Evolution. Current Biology, 30: 2026-2036. (pdf)

2019

42. Hecht EE, Smaers JB, Dunn WJ, Kent M, Preuss TM & Gutman DA. Significant neuroanatomical variation among domestic dog breeds. Journal of Neuroscience. 39(39): 7748-7758.

41. Smaers JB, Mongle CS*, Safi K & Dechmann DKN. Allometry, evolution, and development of neocortex size in mammals. Progress in Brain Research. 250: 83-107.

40. Vanier DR*, Sherwood CC & Smaers JB. Distinct patterns of hippocampal and neocortical evolution in primates. Brain, Behavior and Evolution. 96(4): 171-181.

39. Smaers JB & Vanier DR*. Brain size expansion in primates and humans is explained by a selective modular expansion of the cortico-cerebellar system. Cortex, 118: 154-164.

38. Staes N, Smaers JB, Kunkle AE, Hopkins WD, Bradley BJ & Sherwood CC. Evolutionary divergence of neuroanatomical organization and related genes in chimpanzees and bonobos. Cortex, 118: 154-164.

37. Pimiento C, Cantalapiedra JL, Shimada K, Field DJ & Smaers JB. Evolutionary pathways towards gigantism in sharks and rays. Evolution. 73 (3): 588-599.

2018

36. Dunn JC & Smaers JB. Neural correlates of vocal repertoire in Primates. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 12:534.

35. Smaers JB, Turner AH, Gómez-Robles A, & Sherwood CC. A cerebellar substrate for cognition evolved multiple times independently in mammals. eLife, 7: e35696. (pdf)

34. Parks AN* & Smaers JB. The evolution of the frontal lobes in primates. In: Digital Endocasts (from skulls to brains) (Edited by E. Bruner). Springer, pp. 205-218.

2017

33. Kerney M*, Smaers JB, Schoenemann PT & Dunn JC. The coevolution of play and the cortico-cerebellar system in primates. Primates. 58(4): 485-491.

32. Passingham RE, Smaers JB & Sherwood CC. Evolutionary specializations of the human prefrontal cortex. In: Evolution of Nervous Systems, Vol. 4, 2nd Edition, J.H. Kaas, T.M. Preuss (eds), Elsevier Press, pp. 207-226. 

31. Smaers JB & Mongle CS*. On the accuracy and theoretical underpinnings of the multiple variance Brownian motion approach for estimating variable rates and inferring ancestral states. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 121(1): 229-238.

30. Smaers JB, Gómez-Robles A, Parks AN* & Sherwood CC. Exceptional evolutionary expansion of the prefrontal cortex in great apes and humans. Current Biology, 27: 714-720. (pdf)

29. Gómez-Robles A, Smaers JB, Holloway RL, Polly PD & Wood B. Uncoupled scenarios for brain expansion and dental reduction in hominins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(3): 468-473. (pdf)

2016

28. Wallace I, Botigue LR, Lin M, Smaers JB, Henn BM & Grine FE. Worldwide variation in hip fracture incidence weakly aligns with genetic divergence between populations. Osteoporosis International. 27(9): 2867-2872.

27. Balanoff A, Smaers JB & Turner A.  Modular evolution and the influence of flight on neuroanatomical variation within theropod dinosaurs. Journal of Anatomy. 229: 204-214.

26. Smaers JB & Rohlf FJ. Testing species’ deviations from allometric predictions using the phylogenetic regression. Evolution. 70 (5): 1145-1149.

25. Soligo C & Smaers JB. Contextualizing primate origins – An ecomorphological framework. Journal of Anatomy. 228 (4): 608-629.

24. Smaers JB, Mongle CS*, Kandler A. A multiple variance Brownian motion framework for estimating variable rates and inferring ancestral states. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 118 (1): 78-94.

2015

23. Phillips KA, Stimpson CD, Smaers JB, Raghanti MA, Jacobs B, Popratiloff A, Hof PR & Sherwood CC. Biophysical constraints on the processing speed of corpus callosum axons in primates and its role in the evolution of hemispheric asymmetry. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences. 282: 20151535.

22. MacDonald K, Smaers JB & Steele J. Hominin geographical range dynamics: do non-human primates provide a good analogy? Journal of Human Evolution. 87: 66-77.

21. Almécija S, Smaers JB & Jungers WL. The evolution of human and ape hand proportions. Nature Communications, 6:7717.

20. Jones KE, Smaers JB & Goswami A. Impact of the terrestrial-aquatic transition on disparity and rates of evolution in the carnivoran skull. BMC Evoutionary Biology, 15:8.

2014

19. Passingham RE & Smaers JB. Is the prefrontal cortex especially enlarged in the human brain? Allometric relations and remapping factors. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 84: 156-166.

18. Smaers JB. Modelling the evolution of the cerebellum: from macroevolution to function. In: Narender Ramnani, editor: Progress in Brain Research, Vol. 210, Amsterdam: The Netherlands, 193-216.

17. Goswami A, Smaers JB, Soligo C & Polly PD. The macroevolutionary consequences of phenotypic integration: from development to deep time. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 369, 20130254.

16. Parr WCH, Soligo C, Smaers JB, Chatterjee HJ, Ruto A, Cornish L & Wroe S. What controls the shape of the hominoid talus? Articular facet curvatures, orientations and analysis of whole talar surface shapes. Journal of Anatomy, 225, 1, 42-59.

2013

15. Tsegai ZJ, Kivell TL, Gross T, Nguyen H, Parr DH, Smaers JB & Skinner MM. Trabecular bone structure correlates with hand posture and use in hominoids. PLoS One. 8 (11), e78781.

14. Kivell TL, Barros AP & Smaers JB. Different evolutionary pathways underlie the morphology of wrist bones in hominoids. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 13:229.

13. Smaers JB. How humans stand out in frontal lobe scaling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110 (39), E3682.

12. Sherwood CC & Smaers JB. What’s the fuss over human frontal lobe evolution? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(9), 432-3.

11. Smaers JB & Soligo C. Brain reorganization, not relative brain size, primarily characterizes anthropoid brain evolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 280, 20130269.

10. Smaers JB, Steele J, Case CR**, Amunts K. Laterality and the evolution of the prefronto-cerebellar system in anthropoids. In The evolution of human handedness (eds. McGrew W.C., Marchant L., Schiefenhövel W.). New York, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1288: 59-69.

2012

09. Smaers JB, Dechmann DKN, Goswami A, Soligo C, Safi K. Comparative analyses of evolutionary rates reveal different pathways to encephalization in bats, carnivorans, and primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(44), 18006-18011.

08. Brill B, Smaers JB, Steele J, Rein R, Nonaka T, Dietrich G, Biryukova E, Hirata S & Roux V. Functional mastery of “percussive technology” in nut-cracking and stone-flaking actions: experimental comparison of the tasks and implications for the evolution of the human brain. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 367: 59-74.

07. Smaers JB, Mulvaney PI*, Soligo C, Zilles K, Amunts K. Sexual dimorphism and laterality in the evolution of the primate prefrontal cortex. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 79: 205-212

06. Kandler A & Smaers JB. An agent-based approach to modelling mammalian evolution: How resource distribution and predation affect body size evolution.  Advances in Complex Systems, 15: 1150014/1-17.

2011

05. Smaers JB, Steele J, Case CR**, Cowper A**, Amunts K, et al. Primate prefrontal cortex evolution: human brains are the extreme of a lateralized ape trend. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 77: 67-78.

04. Zilles K, Amunts K, Smaers JB. Three brain collections for comparative neuroanatomy and neuroimaging. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1225 S1: E94-E104.

03. Smaers JB, Steele J, Zilles K. Modeling the evolution of cortico-cerebellar systems in primates. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1225: 176-190.

2010

02. Smaers JB, Schleicher A, Zilles K, Vinicius L. Frontal white matter volume is associated with brain enlargement and higher structural connectivity in haplorrhine primates. PLoS One, 5: e9123.

2009

01. Smaers JB &Vinicius L. Inferring macro-evolutionary patterns using an adaptive peak model of evolution. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 11: 991-1015.