Brain Evolution News

‘The Fox, the Shrew, and You: How Brains Evolved,’ an excerpt thetransmitter.org/evolution/the-…

Uncovering Neurogenesis in the Gecko Brain 🧠 A recent study from Sara Jiménez Álvarez and her colleagues from @PhyloBrain brings high-resolution molecular readouts to a compelling non-model organism, the gecko Paroedura picta. Using #HCRtechnology, the team mapped gene expression in the embryonic gecko brain, enabling clear mRNA visualization in a system where species-specific antibody options can be limited. The researchers also paired HCR™ RNA-FISH with immunohistochemistry to connect RNA patterns with protein-level context during neurogenesis, expanding what’s possible in evolutionary and comparative neurobiology. Explore the full manuscript here: link.springer.com/protocol/10.10…

Le travail de @chloesangued_ s’inscrit dans l’étude de la diversité #neuroanatomique des #hominines anciens du Pléistocène d'Afrique de l'Est afin de mieux comprendre l’évolution du #cerveau 🧠 dans la lignée humaine @CNRSecologie @UnivPoitiers @umontpellier

J'ai eu le plaisir de participer à ce podcast et de raconter nos travaux sur les fossiles afin de reconstituer l'évolution du cerveau ! BRAINCAST — Un podcast de Cerveau & Psycho, le média de référence de la psychologie et des neurosciences. open.spotify.com/episode/3ONdtm…

Chimpanzee calls trigger unique brain activity in humans, revealing shared vocal processing skills phys.org/news/2025-12-c…

Neuroscience has a species problem thetransmitter.org/animal-models/…

Ready to see the big picture of how the vertebrate brain balances stability with change? 📖 Check out the full chapter in Evolution of Nervous Systems here: shop.elsevier.com/books/evolutio…

This deep dive was a huge team effort! ✍️ Huge congrats to co-authors: Sᴀʀᴀ Jɪᴍéɴᴇᴢ and Tᴀᴛɪᴀɴᴀ Gᴀʟʟᴇɢᴏ-Fʟᴏʀᴇꜱ @AchucarroGlia 👏👏

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟯𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼? 🕵️‍♂️ Molecular detective work! We discuss the use of scRNA-seq (reading single-cell genetic diaries) to see how similar neurons hide under different disguises across species. 🧬🔬

But it’s not just the tectum! We explore how the 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝘂𝘀 and 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘂𝗺 (the precursor to the cortex) talk to each other. Even in "simpler" brains, these connections are incredibly sophisticated, proving that complex vision isn't just a mammal thing. 🧠🔗

The 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗺 is the star of the show for many vertebrates. 🌟 In reptiles and birds, it’s a complex, layered processing hub. We break down the developmental mechanisms that build this structure and why it's so vital for survival in the wild. 🐍🦅

Evolution loves a good remix. While the core visual territories are the same, different animals prioritize different visual routes. Mammals went all-in on the lemnothalamic route for high-def detail, while reptiles and birds doubled down on the collothalamic pathway for speed. ⚡️

Ever heard of the 𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙞𝙘 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣? 🧬 Basically, all vertebrates start with a shared embryonic blueprint that hasn’t changed in millions of years. We look at how early-born neurons act as the "foundational crew" before species-specific features even show up. 🏗️🧱

Hᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴜɪʟᴅ ᴀ ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴqᴜᴇʀ ʟᴀɴᴅ, ᴀɪʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴀ? 🧠 It’s not just about adding new parts; it’s about "tinkering" with what’s already there! Our new review dives into Evo-Devo and how small developmental tweaks create many brain forms🦎🐦

Chimp general intelligence correlates with overall brain size, gray matter volume & cortical thicknes sciencedirect.com/science/articl… 🤔Brain size in humans varies twofold 👉areal expansion in larger brains recapitulates cortical remodeling across evolution science.sciencemag.org/content/360/63…

Cortical evolution is hard because it sits at the intersection of: developmental biology systems neuroscience genomics comparative anatomy 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 #𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 Bilbao, June

Third, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀. Much of what we call “fundamental” may simply reflect rodent biology. Comparative neurobiology forces us to re-evaluate what is truly conserved, 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭. #CorticalEvolution2026

Second, ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀʀᴇ ɪɴꜱᴇᴘᴀʀᴀʙʟᴇ ⛓️. Small changes in progenitor behavior, timing, or lineage relationships can scale into large architectural differences. The difficulty is linking molecular changes to macroscopic structure.

First, the cortex changes along multiple axes at once: size, folding, cell-type diversity, connectivity, developmental timing. 𝙉𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨. Expansion alone is not the answer. #CorticalEvolution2026

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 sounds straightforward: compare species, identify differences, explain them. In reality, it 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝘞𝘩𝘺? #CorticalEvolution2026