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evolutionary neuroscience

This shows people around a campfire talking.

·March 18, 2025·7 min read

When Did Humans First Speak? Genes Offer New Clues on Language Origins

New genetic research suggests that humans first developed language around 135,000 years ago when populations began geographically splitting, followed by widespread social use around 100,000 years ago. Using data from 15 genetic studies, researchers found that early human groups branched out approximately 135,000 years ago, which likely coincides with the origin of language as a cognitive system.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 26, 2025·4 min read

Rapidly Evolving DNA May Explain Human Brain Complexity

A new study reveals that human accelerated regions (HARs)—segments of DNA that evolved much faster than expected—may be key to the brain’s advanced cognitive abilities. Researchers compared human and chimpanzee neurons and found that HARs drive the growth of multiple neural projections, which enhance communication between brain cells.

This shows a man at a computer and a marmoset.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 18, 2025·6 min read

Why We Keep Exploring Even After Learning the Best Strategy

A new study reveals that both humans and marmosets continue to adjust their behavior even after learning an optimal task strategy. Instead of sticking to a known successful approach, they subtly modify their responses based on their most recent experience.

This shows a modern human and a Neanderthal.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 18, 2025·8 min read

Genetic Link Between Humans and the Evolution of Speech Found

New research suggests a genetic variant in the NOVA1 protein may have played a key role in the emergence of human speech. Scientists introduced this exclusively human variant into mice and observed altered vocalizations, indicating a potential role in vocal communication.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 17, 2025·8 min read

AI Reveals How Brain Cells Evolved Over 320 Million Years

A new study reveals how AI-driven deep learning models can decode the genetic regulatory switches that define brain cell types across species. By analyzing human, mouse, and chicken brains, researchers found that some brain cell types remain highly conserved over 320 million years, while others have evolved uniquely.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 16, 2025·5 min read

Upper Body Strength Predicts Sexual Partner Count in Men and Women

A study revealed that both men and women with greater upper body strength report more lifetime sexual partners, challenging the sexual selection hypothesis, which emphasizes male physical competition for mates. While men’s strength is often linked to evolutionary advantages like hunting and mate competition, the findings also suggest stronger men are more likely to be in long-term relationships, supporting the "provisioning" theory.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 10, 2025·4 min read

Single Nerve Cord Revealed as Ancestor of Ecdysozoan Nervous Systems

A study analyzing Cambrian fossils uncovered that the ancestral ecdysozoan likely had a single ventral nerve cord, challenging long-standing views about the evolution of these structures. Fossil impressions from early Scalidophora species reveal similarities to modern priapulid nerve cords, supporting the single-cord hypothesis. This finding suggests that paired nerve cords in arthropods, kinorhynchs, and loriciferans evolved independently, linked to body segmentation and movement complexity.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 7, 2025·6 min read

Lead Pollution Linked to IQ Decline in Roman-Era Europe

A study analyzing Arctic ice cores reveals that lead pollution during the Roman Empire's height contributed to an estimated 2-3 point IQ decline across Europe. The pollution stemmed from silver mining and smelting, which released vast amounts of lead into the atmosphere.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 2, 2025·7 min read

Gene Expression Drives Evolution of Human Brain Complexity

While humans share over 95% of their genome with chimpanzees, our brains are far more complex due to differences in gene expression. Research shows that human brain cells, particularly glial cells, exhibit higher levels of upregulated genes, enhancing neural plasticity and development.

This shows the bone fragments discovered.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 16, 2024·4 min read

Human Remains Reveal Violence and Cannibalism in Bronze Age Britain

Archaeologists studying the Charterhouse Warren site in England found evidence of a massacre, where at least 37 individuals were butchered, likely partly consumed, and dehumanized by their enemies. Analysis of over 3,000 bone fragments revealed blunt force trauma and cut marks, indicating intentional violence rather than ritualistic funerary practices.

This shows a representation of a cave painting.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 14, 2024·10 min read

Humans and Neanderthals Interbred 47,000 Years Ago

New research refines the timeline of interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals, showing it began about 50,500 years ago and lasted roughly 7,000 years. This gene flow left non-African populations with 1-2% Neanderthal ancestry, contributing beneficial traits like immune resilience and skin pigmentation.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 12, 2024·6 min read

Do Animals Really Understand Fairness?

New research challenges the idea that animals share humans’ sense of fairness, suggesting their reactions to unequal rewards stem from unmet expectations rather than inequity aversion. In the largest meta-analysis to date, researchers reanalyzed data from 23 studies across 18 species and found no strong evidence of jealousy or fairness aversion in animals.

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evolutionary neuroscience

When Did Humans First Speak? Genes Offer New Clues on Language Origins

Rapidly Evolving DNA May Explain Human Brain Complexity

Why We Keep Exploring Even After Learning the Best Strategy

Genetic Link Between Humans and the Evolution of Speech Found

AI Reveals How Brain Cells Evolved Over 320 Million Years

Upper Body Strength Predicts Sexual Partner Count in Men and Women

Single Nerve Cord Revealed as Ancestor of Ecdysozoan Nervous Systems

Lead Pollution Linked to IQ Decline in Roman-Era Europe

Gene Expression Drives Evolution of Human Brain Complexity

Human Remains Reveal Violence and Cannibalism in Bronze Age Britain

Humans and Neanderthals Interbred 47,000 Years Ago

Do Animals Really Understand Fairness?

How Scientists Cracked the Ketamine Code for Depression

Brain Prioritizes “Sound Offsets” During Hearing Repair

Glucose Levels Signal the Growth of Myelin

Why Your Brain “Dreams” Even When You’re Awake

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