Why do chimpanzees have such wrinkled faces?

So the question shouldn't be, why are chimps so wrinkly? That's easy: they have lots of facial muscles for signaling complex expressions. The question should be: why are humans so strangely smooth? And the obvious answer is: fat. read more

Humans have place that look like reptile skin. We have the reptile genes and newer genes determine where and how strongly those will activate. Similarly with chimp faces, they have the genes that make old human faces wrinkle, but they are activated at a different time. Well, that's an oversimplification but it's the idea. read more

originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. Answer by Suzanne Sadedin, BSc.(Hons) in Zoology; Ph.D. in evolutionary biology, on Quora: It’s not just chimps. Other apes and their babies are wrinkly, too. read more