Source: HackerNews brain

Over the past 5 to 7 million years, humans and chimpanzees have diverged in brain size, structure, and cognition despite high conservation of protein-coding genes. However, retroviral infections withi...

A viral infection from millions of years ago may have influenced chimp brain evolution through DNA leftovers in the genome.

A brain-scan study of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques finds the neural hub for self-awareness shifted from the insula to the cingulate cortex.

Researchers in Belgium have used AI, trained on human and animal data, to shed light on how different brain cells have evolved over time and how this may give clues to brain diseases.The study, at EAR...

Tilly Edinger a étudié l’évolution du cerveau grâce à des moulages de fossiles. Son statut de scientifique a contribué à assurer son exil d’Allemagne nazie pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Are We the Universe’s Biggest Fluke? 🌌 Ever felt like your existence was a mistake? According to science, you’re right—but in the most spectacular way possible. 🧬 We often assume that human intelligence was an inevitable upgrade in the evolution cycle, but what if we are actually the 1-in-a-trillion jackpot of a cosmic accident? In this mind-bending episode, we explore why you—and everything you know—shouldn't technically exist. We dive deep into the Rare Earth Hypothesis to uncover why the universe might actually be a silent, lonely void. From the galactic habitable zone to the 'just right' abundance of phosphorus and radioactive metals, we explore the terrifyingly thin line between a thriving technological civilization and a sterile, lifeless rock. We’re breaking down the science of why the "Great Filter" might be behind us, not ahead. Why you’re a biological miracle (and a bit of a glitch): - 🌕 The Moon’s Secret Job: Why Earth would be a wobbling, chaotic mess without our massive stabilizing satellite. - 🦠 The 2-Billion-Year Glitch: Why the emergence of complex eukaryotic cells was a biological bottleneck that almost stopped life in its tracks. - 🧠 The Brain Tax: The insane metabolic cost of being smart and why evolution usually prefers 'simple and safe' over 'smart and hungry.' - 🪐 Jupiter, the Bodyguard: How gas giants act as the ultimate shield, protecting rocky worlds from cosmic destruction. Is it controversial to claim we are alone in the cosmos? Absolutely. But when you examine the mathematical likelihood of sapient beings, the odds are vanishingly small. We aren't the inevitable goal of the universe; we are a beautiful, improbable anomaly. 🚀 Ready for a healthy dose of existential wonder? If this episode blew your mind, hit that subscribe button and share this with a fellow human who needs a reality check. Let’s explore the impossible together! 🎧✨  

Artificial selection for behavioural traits can significantly affect the anatomy of brain regions related to the behaviour under selection. The homing pigeon (Columba livia) is a prime example of how ...

Teles et al. propose a model of brain evolution that explains how come fish with larger bodies have larger brains with more neurons across cohorts raised in different growth conditions, while individ....

Scientists found that evolution led bird and mammal brains to evolve separately, using different genetic instructions.

Researchers discovered how genetic switches shaped human brain evolution by fine-tuning shared gene expression.

Our brain is arguably the organ that most distinguishes humans from other primates. Its exceptional size, complexity and capabilities far exceed those of any other species on Earth. Yet humans share u...

Neural circuits have evolved to produce cognitive processes that facilitate a species variable behavioural repertoire. Underlying this variation are evolutionary forces, such as selection, that operat...

Unlocking the Genetic Secrets Behind Human Brain Expansion