Bird brains' cortex-like structure may be behind complex cognition, and even consciousness
3 institutional releases
Published in Science · View the paper (DOI)
Two studies found that birds' pallium exhibits a layered architecture similar to mammals', potentially enabling complex cognitive abilities like consciousness. This structure may have been present in the last common ancestor of birds and mammals 320 million years ago, or evolved independently through convergent evolution.
Coverage from 3 institutions
- Bird brains' cortex-like structure may be behind complex cognition, and even consciousness American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) · Sep 24, 2020 · first to report
- The surprising organization of avian brains Ruhr-University Bochum · Sep 25, 2020
- Bird brains are surprisingly complex Forschungszentrum Juelich · Sep 28, 2020