FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 22, 2020Human pregnancy is weird – new research adds to the mysteryStudy reveals the progesterone receptor gene evolved rapidly in humans, but there is no evidence to support this happened because the changes were advantageous to our species. Researchers report the evolutionary force of selection was so weak that the gene accumulated harmful mutations as it evolved in humans. Progesterone receptor genes are vital during pregnancy as it supplies developing cells the ability to create progesterone receptors. Read More
auditory neuroscienceFeaturedNeuroscience·April 20, 2020Origins of human language pathway in the brain at least 25 million years oldStudying auditory regions and brain pathways in humans, apes, and monkeys, researchers have identified a language pathway that interconnects the auditory cortex with frontal lobe regions. The language pathway in other primates suggests an evolutionary basis in auditory cognition and vocal communication. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceNeuroscience Videos·April 3, 2020Lucy had an ape-like brainEndocranial imprints of Australopithecus afarensis revealed they had an ape-like brain organization. Evidence was also found of protracted brain growth, which suggests infants may have had a longer dependence on caregivers, just like humans. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·March 19, 2020Loners help society surviveEvolution does select for loner behavior, at least in slime molds. Loners provide both an ecological and evolutionary way to diversify a genetic portfolio to ensure the survival of the social, collective behavior. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·March 16, 2020New study reveals early evolution of cortexLamprey brain study provides new insights into how the human brain evolved. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·February 18, 2020Discovery at ‘flower burial’ site could unravel mystery of Neanderthal death ritesNew findings raise the question of whether Neanderthals returned to the same spots in the famous Shanidar Cave to inter their dead. If so, it would suggest a cultural complexity of a higher order. Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·February 13, 2020Love: is it just a fleeting high fueled by brain chemicals?Study looks at the psychology and neurobiology of attraction and love. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·February 2, 2020Clues to genetic origins of schizophrenia revealedA study of the Xhosa, an ancestral African population, sheds light on the genetic origins of schizophrenia. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·January 15, 2020Having less sex linked to earlier menopauseWomen who are sexually active on at least a monthly basis have a lower risk of early menopause than women who have sex less frequently, a new study reports. Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·December 27, 2019Evolutionary changes in brain potentially make us more prone to anxietyEvolutionary changes in neurotransmitter uptake of VMAT1 may be responsible for higher levels of anxiety. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·December 20, 2019Emotion concepts are not the same worldwideStudy reveals substantial variations in how different languages conceptualize emotions. The findings challenge assumptions about the universal nature of emotional semantics. Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·December 16, 2019Speech could be older than we thoughtSpeech could have emerged earlier than the 200,000 years ago, long before current linguistic theory suggests. Read More
