Capacity, Not Destiny: A Comparative Neuroanatomical Hypothesis on Olfaction, Memory, and the Homo sapiens–Neanderthal Divergence

Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis evolved brains of comparable overall size through independent evolutionary trajectories, yet three-dimensional reconstruction of the fossil endocranial base indicates a structural divergence: Homo sapiens show relatively larger olfactory-bulb fossae and a more expanded, forward-projecting temporal pole than Neanderthals. This paper connects that anatomical finding to the olfactory system’s uniquely direct, non-thalamic access to the hippocampus and amygdala, and to evidence that novel odor exposure drives measurable hippocampal neurogenesis in rodents, proposing as an explicit and falsifiable hypothesis — not an established conclusion — that Homo sapiens possessed a greater neurological capacity for olfactory-driven memory enhancement than Neanderthals.

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