Human brains light up for chimp voices in a way no one expected www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

Scientists find a surprising link between lead and human evolution share.google/vEJVURtjSv1u...

Why did consciousness evolve? What’s it for? The latest issue of @royalsociety.org Philosophical Transactions B has a series of papers from very smart people on this topic, covering all kinds of creatures 🧠🧪🤔 royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...

And here is a free read-only link to our paper: link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007... #neuroskyence #neuroethology 🧠🧪

What did we find? Homing pigeons have smaller hippocampal neurons than feral pigeons. We think this might be associated with higher packing density of neurons, which could confer some advantages in spatial cognition. But more testing needed! Fin

Feral and homing pigeons differ greatly in hippocampal neuron density, so we asked, are there are also differences in neuron size and morphology. We used high resolution slide scanning of Golgi stained sections and digitally reconstructed neurons from both breeds.

New paper out today on hippocampus neuron morphology in homing and feral pigeons. 🧵 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #neuroskyence #neuroethology #anatomy

11. Atoji Y, Sarkar S & Wild JM 2016, Hippocampus 26(12):1608–1617, doi.org/10.1002/hipo...

9. Applegate MC, Gutnichenko KS & Aronov D 2023, J Comp Neurol 531(16):1669–1688, doi.org/10.1002/cne.... 10. Applegate MC, Gutnichenko KS, Mackevicius EL & Aronov D 2023, Curr Biol 33(12):2465–2477e2467, doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

7. Guyonnet AEM, Racicot KJ, Brinkman B & Iwaniuk AN 2025, Brain Struct Funct 230(1):9, doi.org/10.1007/s004... 8. Rook N, Stacho M, Schwarz A, Bingman VP & Güntürkün O 2023, J Comp Neurol 531(7):790–813, doi.org/10.1002/cne....

4. Rehkämper G, Haase E & Frahm HD 1988, Brain Behav Evol 31:141–149 5. Rehkämper G, Frahm HD & Cnotka J 2008, Brain Behav Evol 71(2):115–126, doi.org/10.1159/0001... 6. Ebinger P & Löhmer R 1984, Z Zool Syst Evolut-forsch 22:136–145.

Bibliography: 1. Wallraff HG 2005, Avian navigation: pigeon homing as a paradigm, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg. 2. Bingman VP 2018, J Exp Biol 221:jeb163089, doi.org/10.1242/jeb.... 3. Herold C, Coppola VJ & Bingman VP 2015, Hippocampus 25(11):1193–1211, doi.org/10.1002/hipo...

📚 In summary: homing pigeons show smaller dorsomedial hippocampal neurons than feral pigeons (~30% reduction). This may reflect denser packing and subtle adaptations in spatial cognition—but evidence remains preliminary.

It is unclear whether these anatomical differences arise from genetic selection, navigational experience, or both. 👉 Further studies—especially those combining behavioural testing, anatomy and physiology, as in songbirds—are needed to test this hypothesis.

In contrast, DM neurons —analogous to the mammalian hippocampus 8,9,11— were ~30% smaller in soma size and total volume in homing pigeons. Smaller neurons could imply higher neuronal density, potentially allowing greater spatial resolution in homing pigeons.

Results showed no significant differences in DL neurons between breeds. The DL, comparable to the mammalian entorhinal cortex 8-10, may be activated during general navigation tasks. Thus, neuronal structure might remain similar across both pigeon types.

In this new study, researchers used Golgi staining to examine neuronal morphology in the hippocampal subregions of homing and feral pigeons. They focused on the dorsolateral (DL) and dorsomedial (DM) parts of the HF.

Earlier studies suggested that homing pigeons have an enlarged HF 4-6. However, more recent work suggests that it’s not the volume, but rather the number and density of neurons, that differ. Homing pigeons possess over twice as many hippocampal neurons as feral pigeons 7.

🧠🐦 Artificial selection can drive anatomical brain differences between breeds. Homing pigeons, long used in racing and message delivery, have far greater demands on spatial memory and navigation than feral pigeons, with the hippocampal formation (HF) being crucial to this process 1-3.

🚨🕊️ New paper: “Homing and feral pigeons differ in hippocampal formation neuron size: a Golgi study”. Read below 👇 DOI: doi.org/10.1007/s004... #Neuroscience #BrainEvolution #EvoDevo #Hippocampus #Brain #Neuroanatomy #AvianBrain

4. Choe SK et al. 2014, Dev Cell 28:203–211, doi.org/10.1016/j.de... 5. Giliberti A et al. 2020, Eur J Med Genet 63:103627, doi.org/10.1016/j.ej...

Bibliography: 1. Agoston Z et al. 2012, BMC Dev Biol 12:10, doi.org/10.1186/1471... 2. Agoston Z et al. 2014, Development 141:28–38, doi.org/10.1242/dev.... 3. Choe SK et al. 2009, Dev Cell 17:561–567, doi.org/10.1016/j.de...

📚 Meis2 is an evolutionarily conserved architect of the vertebrate brain — orchestrating regional patterning, neuronal differentiation, and circuit assembly. Its persistence in the hindbrain underscores its key role in development, evolution, and potential therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders.

🔬 Beyond this difference, Meis2 preserves its expression across the hypothalamus, optic tectum, cerebellar nuclei, and hindbrain rhombomeres (r1–r3), revealing a conserved molecular blueprint shaping vertebrate brain evolution.

🧠During Xenopus laevis brain development, Meis2 expression defines ventropallial and pallidal territories (septal groups, BNST) but is almost absent from the striatum — a clear contrast with mammals that hints at evolutionary divergence in cell specification.

🐸 Studying Meis2 in Xenopus laevis is key because its clearly segmented brain allows precise mapping of neuroanatomical boundaries. 👉 Xenopus, as an anamniote tetrapod, bridges zebrafish and amniotes, letting us explore how neuronal specification is conserved or diversified across vertebrates.

🔬 Meis2 is a key transcription factor in neurogenesis: it cooperates with Pax6 in dopaminergic neuron differentiation 1-2, regulates progenitor proliferation 3-4, patterns forebrain & hindbrain, and mutations cause intellectual disability & cardiac defects 5.

🚨✨🐸 Very excited to share the latest work I’m part of: “Developmental and adult expression of the Meis2 transcription factor in the CNS of Xenopus laevis”. Read below 👇 DOI: doi.org/10.3389/fnan... #Neurogenesis #BrainDevelopment #Neuroscience #EvoDevo #DevBio #Xenopus

It's #NationalFossilDay here in the USA, so here's a photo of our T. rex brain endocast based on a US national fossil—AMNH 5117. The surprise was to see it on exhibit in Japan at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. Feel free to print one of your own: skfb.ly/Mqsq ! 🦖

Thrilled to share that I’ve successfully defended my PhD thesis on human brain evolution at @humantechnopole.bsky.social 🎓 A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. Excited for what comes next!

One motivation behind this review was that recently, I learned that neurobiologists knew of Ludwig Edinger while paleontologists knew of Tilly Edinger, his daugther. It made me realized how much, we had been disconnected from one another. I hope that this review brings these fields closer again ☺️

New paper out! It was an honor to collaborate with the legend Leah Krubitzer on this review to show that paleontologists and neurobiologists working together can only improve our understanding of brain evolution 🧠 www.nature.com/articles/s44... Full access to the paper: rdcu.be/eK167

2025. From nociception in aneural animals to human suffering: toward a comparative biology of pain url: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-...

Can Only Meat Machines be Conscious? New paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, free download until November 26 with this URL: authors.elsevier.com/a/1luwh4sIRv...

Homo no-lead-i. ... in seriousness, this is an interesting new paper! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New online! The functional adaptations of mammalian brain structures through a behavioural ecology lens

Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint: “Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10

Evolution of intelligence in our ancestors may have come at a cost www.newscientist.com/article/2499...

Ancient Lead Exposure Influenced the Evolution of the Human Brain bioengineer.org/ancient-lead...

Evolution may have capped human brain size to balance energy costs and survival www.psypost.org/evolution-ma...

Moreover, AGI might also require social interactions to become a reality, where cultural evolution (and extended mind) play a major role. It is not by chance that brain and culture evolved together, allowing complex minds to emerge @anilseth.bsky.social @mitibennett.bsky.social

An evolutionary perspective is much required to truly understand consciousness, how it originates and what clases we might find. We proposed a space of possible cognitions and did a comparative analysis

Can general artificial intelligence emerge by not following the evolution of complex brains? In this 2022 paper with @brigan.bsky.social we argued that embodiment, mind reading (mirror systems), mental time traveling... are necessary conditions www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/24... @anilseth.bsky.social

Thanks to Arendt group: Detlev, Leslie, Tobi, Nico @galicae.bsky.social and Phil. My amazing students @gulceserka.bsky.social, @anaverbanac.bsky.social,Maite and Dori. Huge thanks to the Kaessmann lab for all their support and fruitful discussions @kaessmannlab.bsky.social @evo-and-devo.bsky.social

We now have a unique opportunity to keep developing cartilaginous fish models. Throug their study we will be able to explore how these and other features evolved across vertebrates and uncover the molecular mechanisms driving brain evolution. Stay tuned for more discoveries and tool developments!

Our study moved the postulated origin of several developmental pallial features back to the jawed common ancestor. We hypothesize these features likely contributed to the increased complexity of their brains coincident with the emergence of predation.

Using the plasmid, we showed that the dorsal pallial area gives rise to a layered structure aligned with the positions of Reelin and CRs. Moreover, this structure corresponds with a complex anatomical region that brings together glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, likely forming a complex circuitry

We developed a protocol to label shark neural tissue with a reporter plasmid- First time this is achieved in a Cartilaginous Fish! Impossible without (bluesky-less) Maite Boersig, Isabel Rollán, Dori Torres-Sabino and Rami Reshef. The coolest shark team ever!🦈💙

Till recently, bony fish have been the main fish reference group for comparative purpose, but contrary to cartilaginous fish, they are evolutionary speedsters, with brains that have taken unique paths.