Brainless sponges have cells that might be the precursors of neurons
4 November 2021
Sponges are arguably the simplest animals and they lack a nervous system, but peculiar cells in their digestive chambers may be evolutionary precursors of neurons
-
Subject
-
Section
-
Type
-
Topics
-
Author
-
Issue
-
Premium
Rapidly evolving bits of DNA helped develop the human brain
2 September 2021
Some sections of the human genome have changed quickly during our evolution, and hundreds of them seem to be involved in the development of our brains
You can recognise around 5000 faces, from family to celebrities
9 October 2018
For much of human evolution our ancestors may have encountered only a few hundred people in their lives – but we can each recall about 5000 distinct faces
T. rex evolved into a monster predator by dumbing down its brain
3 October 2018
The very first tyrannosaurs were relatively small dinosaurs – and the skull of one of them seems to have contained a brain with a more complex shape than that of the enormous T. rex
Chimp evolution was shaped by sex with their bonobo relatives
24 May 2018
Some chimpanzee populations gained useful DNA from interbreeding with bonobos, and one may even have become more gentle and “bonobo-like” in its brain structure and behaviour
We may have got the evolution of our big brains entirely wrong
23 May 2018
Many scientists think that our big brains evolved to help us cope with the complexities of social living, but a model suggests it was more to do with finding food and lighting fires
World's most-spoken languages may have arisen in ancient Iran
23 May 2018
About 3 billion people speak Indo-European languages like English and Hindustani, and it seems the first such tongue was spoken south of the Caucasus mountains
People adapted to the cold and got more migraines as a result
3 May 2018
A gene variant that helps humans cope with colder climates also seems to have put people living in northerly regions at a higher risk of migraine
Surprise! Having a big brain really does mean having less muscle
28 February 2018
It’s an evolutionary mystery how humans and other primates found the energy to support their large brains, but now it seems sacrificing some muscle might have helped
Young 'dinosauromorphs' may have begged for food like baby birds
26 January 2018
Tens of millions of years before dinosaurs evolved into birds, a proto-dinosaur had surprising features that suggest its young needed parental care after hatching
