http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —The evolution of anthropoid primates, including monkeys, apes and humans, over the past 40 million years was largely driven by brain reorganization, and not brain size, according to new research from UCL. http://phys.org/news283676330.html Biology Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:59:10 EST news283676330 An evolutionary biologist at the University of Manchester, working with scientists in the US, has found compelling evidence that parts of the brain can evolve independently from each other. It's hoped the findings will significantly advance our understanding of the brain. http://phys.org/news267848754.html Biology Wed, 26 Sep 2012 03:26:13 EST news267848754 (Phys.org) -- One of the world’s most important fossils has a story to tell about the brain evolution of modern humans and their ancestors, according to Florida State University evolutionary anthropologist Dean Falk. http://phys.org/news255611114.html Other Sciences Mon, 07 May 2012 15:00:24 EST news255611114 An analysis of a skull from the most complete early hominid fossils ever found suggests that the large and complex human brain may have evolved more rapidly than previously realized, and at a later time than some other human characteristics. http://phys.org/news234701627.html Other Sciences Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:54:06 EST news234701627 A paper published today in Science reveals the highest resolution and most accurate X-ray scan ever made of the brain case of an early human ancestor. The insight derived from this data is like a powerful beacon on the hazy landscape of brain evolution across the transition from Australopithecus to Homo. http://phys.org/news234696412.html Other Sciences Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:27:09 EST news234696412 Researchers at Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF, a Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain) shed new light on the evolution of brain size in birds. Scientists have known for some time that migratory birds have smaller brains than their resident relatives. Now a new study looks into the reasons and concludes that the act of migrating leads to a reduced brain size. Authors point to the fact that the causes could be due to a need to reduce energetic, metabolic and cognitive costs. To reach these conclusions, scientists reconstructed the evolutionary history of one of the most numerous orders of birds, the passeriformes, a group which includes swallows, tits and crows. http://phys.org/news191752655.html Biology Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:50:02 EST news191752655 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists trying to understand how the brains of animals evolve have found that evolutionary changes in brain structure reflect the types of social interactions and environmental stimuli different species face. http://phys.org/news164993468.html Biology Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:32:01 EST news164993468 For the past 2 million years, the size of the human brain has tripled, growing much faster than other mammals. Examining the reasons for human brain expansion, University of Missouri researchers studied three common hypotheses for brain growth: climate change, ecological demands and social competition. The team found that social competition is the major cause of increased cranial capacity. http://phys.org/news164901829.html Biology Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:04:42 EST news164901829 Metabolic changes responsible for the evolution of our unique cognitive abilities indicate that the brain may have been pushed to the limit of its capabilities. Research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology adds weight to the theory that schizophrenia is a costly by-product of human brain evolution. http://phys.org/news137129722.html Biology Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:35:22 EST news137129722