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Carrion crow (Corvus corone) black bird portrait of head and looking at camera. Wildlife in nature. Netherlands; Shutterstock ID 1928268914; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Crows may owe their intelligence to an abundance of certain neurons

1 April 2022

Corvids such as rooks and crows seem to have a unusually high number of interneurons, brain cells involved in processing information


Chimp evolution was shaped by sex with their bonobo relatives

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


Horses remember if you smiled or frowned when they last saw you

Horses remember if you smiled or frowned when they last saw you

26 April 2018

Horses can remember the expressions on people’s faces and use them to make judgements about whether people are nice or unpleasant


Dog brain scans show if they are looking at a happy or sad face

Dog brain scans show if they are looking at a happy or sad face

29 March 2018

Dogs can recognise different human facial expressions, like happy or sad, and now a simple brain scan can reveal which expression a dog is looking at


Heavy metal poisoning may be changing birds’ personalities

Heavy metal poisoning may be changing birds’ personalities

22 March 2018

Great tits exposed to toxic metals like cadmium and lead alter their behaviour, becoming less exploratory and more cautious, suggesting their personalities have been reshaped


Birds 'dream sing' by moving their vocal muscles in their sleep

Birds 'dream sing' by moving their vocal muscles in their sleep

9 February 2018

Zebra finches sing during the day, and at night while they sleep their vocal organs act out the motions of singing, a bit like a sleepwalking person


Huge dose of brain chemical dopamine may have made us smart

Huge dose of brain chemical dopamine may have made us smart

23 November 2017

Two “thinking” regions of human brains are much richer in a neurotransmitter called dopamine than the equivalent brain regions in apes and monkeys


Sheep learn to recognise celebrity faces from different angles

Sheep learn to recognise celebrity faces from different angles

8 November 2017

The animals were as good as humans at recognising mugshots of the same celebs from different angles, showing sophisticated brain processing of imagery


Gregory Berns

The man who reads dog minds and personalities in a brain scanner

23 August 2017

Gregory Berns coaxes dogs into MRI scanners to see what's going on in their heads. It even reveals if they would make good helpers for people with disabilities


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