Really big brains can evolve only if constraints on energy intake are lifted
As a species we're so brain-proud it doesn't occur to most of us to ask whether a big brain has disadvantages as well as cognitive benefits.
As a species we're so brain-proud it doesn't occur to most of us to ask whether a big brain has disadvantages as well as cognitive benefits.
Evolution
Dec 21, 2016
3
1420
University of Adelaide researchers have shown that intelligence in animal species can be estimated by the size of the holes in the skull through which the arteries pass.
Evolution
Jul 15, 2015
3
187
Skoltech scientists and their colleagues from Germany and the United States have analyzed the metabolomes of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques in muscle, kidney, and three different brain regions. The team discovered that ...
Evolution
May 24, 2021
3
263
Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered that bacteria—often viewed as lowly, solitary creatures—are actually quite sophisticated in their social interactions and communicate with one another through similar electrical ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 21, 2015
33
1908
How did human intelligence evolve? Anthropologists have studied this question for decades by looking at tools found in archaeological digs, evidence of the use of fire and so on, and changes in brain size measured from fossil ...
Archaeology
Jan 27, 2020
0
180
Anthropologists have been curious about the evolution of human intelligence for many decades. The main lines of research have involved archaeological finds concerning the use of fire, tools and so on.
Archaeology
Mar 24, 2017
1
135
The evolution of big-brained mammals may be due to maternal investment, rather than metabolism, according to a new study by scientists at UCL (University College London) and the University of Cambridge.
Evolution
Sep 7, 2010
2
0
(Phys.org)—Investigations into the nature of King George III's illness will reopen this year. Neuroscientists will pore over thousands of 18th century letters to and from the monarch, well known for his bizarre behaviour ...
Other
Nov 19, 2012
0
0
The replacement of lost neurons is a holy grail for neuroscience. A new promising approach is the conversion of glial cells into new neurons. Improving the efficiency of this conversion or reprogramming after brain injury ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 17, 2020
0
458
The bottom of the ocean is not hospitable. There is no light; the temperature is freezing cold; and the pressure of all the water above will literally crush you. The animals that live at this depth have developed biophysical ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 27, 2024
1
262