Scientists find homolog of mammalian neocortex in bird brain

A seemingly unique part of the human and mammalian brain is the neocortex, a layered structure on the outer surface of the organ where most higher-order processing is thought to occur. But new research at the University of ...

Human brains outpace chimp brains in the womb

Humans' superior brain size in comparison to their chimpanzee cousins traces all the way back to the womb. That's according to a study reported in the September 25 issue of Current Biology that is the first to track and compare ...

Language use is simpler than previously thought

(Phys.org)—For more than 50 years, language scientists have assumed that sentence structure is fundamentally hierarchical, made up of small parts in turn made of smaller parts, like Russian nesting dolls.

Algal proteins light the way

Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are remarkable proteins that respond to specific wavelengths of light by allowing ions to cross the cell membrane, a mechanism that makes them useful for manipulating ion-driven processes in the brain. ...

Researchers find gene critical to sense of smell in fruit fly

(Medical Xpress) -- Fruit flies don't have noses, but a huge part of their brains is dedicated to processing smells. Flies probably rely on the sense of smell more than any other sense for essential activities such as finding ...

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