Within our extended primate family consisting of lemurs, monkeys, and apes, humans have the largest brains. Our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, weigh about two-thirds as much as us, yet our brains are about 3.5 times ...
Archaeology
Apr 2, 2020
1
23
For many people, the most distressing part of the coronavirus pandemic is the idea of social isolation. If we get ill, we quarantine ourselves for the protection of others. But even among the healthy, loneliness may be setting ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2020
0
86
A new study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution suggests that birds have two alternative strategies for coping with the difficulties of humanity's increasingly chaotic cities—either by having large brains or through more ...
Evolution
Mar 25, 2020
2
702
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
New research from the University of Adelaide suggests living great apes are smarter than our pre-human ancestor Australopithecus, a group that included the famous "Lucy."
Plants & Animals
Nov 13, 2019
5
1628
How dangerous are micro- and nanoplastics? Do they affect the environment? What harm can they do to our bodies? Questions that we can now finally answer because of Fazel Abdolahpur Monikh. Together with his colleagues, he ...
Environment
Oct 17, 2019
0
9
Big brains can help an animal mount quick, flexible behavioral responses to frequent or unexpected environmental changes. But some birds just don't need 'em.
Evolution
Aug 23, 2019
0
121
Elephants have long captivated our attention, partly because of their sheer size and majesty. But we're also struck by their complex behaviour. In some ways, we're fascinated because this behaviour echoes our most humane ...
Evolution
Jun 27, 2019
1
0
Scientists since Darwin have been intrigued by the simultaneous alteration of multiple morphological, physiological and behavioural traits across a wide range of domesticated animals, such as horses, pigs and dogs. For instance, ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 7, 2019
2
119
The evolution of larger brain size in offspring is associated with the amount of paternal care in mammals, whereas higher fertility in the mothers is correlated with additional care support from individuals that are not the ...
Evolution
May 30, 2019
0
208
