The Evolution of the Human Brain Set It Up for Failure

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/10/alzheimers-evolution/689062/

Humans and songbirds organize the same sounds differently

Humans and songbirds organize the same sounds differently

Chimp and gorilla brains resist weight loss with age — unlike human brains

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03158-0

A Nature research highlight, published 9 Oct 2026. Image credit: Anup Shah/Nature Picture Library.

 

3D genome 'entanglement' may explain how cephalopods evolved complex brains

https://phys.org/news/2026-10-3d-genome-entanglement-cephalopods-evolved.html

Scientists Finally Figured Out Why 90% of Humans Are Right-Handed

https://www.vice.com/en/article/scientists-finally-figured-out-why-90-of-humans-are-right-handed/

Fossil study finds vision—not the 'thinking' frontal lobe—drove varied brain development in primates

https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fossil-vision-frontal-lobe-drove.html

Study Supports and Expands the Primate Brain Lag Hypothesis

https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-lag-evolutionary-30977/

Brain organoids uncover how primates develop different brain shapes

https://phys.org/news/2026-09-brain-organoids-uncover-primates.html

If humans are getting smarter, why are our brains shrinking?

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/if-humans-are-getting-smarter-why-are-our-brains-shrinking

Scaled up to size, a raccoon brain would contain roughly the same number of neurons as a human brain.

https://fortune.com/2026/01/16/are-raccoons-intelligent-drunk-passed-out-in-liquor-store-neuroscientist-nearby/?utm_source=native_share&utm_medium=mobile&utm_campaign=social_share

Neuroscience has a species problem

https://www.thetransmitter.org/animal-models/neuroscience-has-a-species-problem/

Inside the Not-So-Dumb Head of the Dodo Bird

https://nautil.us/inside-the-not-so-dumb-head-of-the-dodo-bird-1283522

‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence

https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/sep/08/this-is-dangerous-slime-moulds-and-the-bitter-debate-over-the-nature-of-intelligence?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Cats age like humans—could studying their brains reveal healthy aging secrets?

https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cats-age-humans-brains-reveal.html

Do octopus brains work like humans’ — or is there another way to be smart?

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01302-4

How a Brainless Organism Learns Using Neuron-Like Machinery

https://neurosciencenews.com/single-cell-learning-camkii-30629/

‘The Brain, In Theory,’ an excerpt

https://www.thetransmitter.org/theoretical-neuroscience/the-brain-in-theory-an-excerpt/

Dogs’ brains began to shrink at least 5,000 years ago, study finds

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/29/dogs-brains-shrink-5000-years-ago?CMP=share_btn_url

‘The Fox, the Shrew, and You: How Brains Evolved,’ an excerpt

https://www.thetransmitter.org/evolution/the-fox-the-shrew-and-you-how-brains-evolved-an-excerpt/

Chimpanzee calls trigger unique brain activity in humans, revealing shared vocal processing skills

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-chimpanzee-trigger-unique-brain-humans.html

Microbes may hold the key to brain evolution

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-microbes-key-brain-evolution.html

Human brains light up for chimp voices in a way no one expected

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251209043042.htm

Evolution of intelligence in our ancestors may have come at a cost

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2499487-evolution-of-intelligence-in-our-ancestors-may-have-come-at-a-cost/

Ancient Lead Exposure Influenced the Evolution of the Human Brain

https://bioengineer.org/ancient-lead-exposure-influenced-the-evolution-of-the-human-brain/

Evolution may have capped human brain size to balance energy costs and survival

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

'Give me the head!' Neuroscientist inspires whale and dolphin research in Brazil

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/15/nx-s1-5258496/scientist-inspires-whale-dolphin-brain-research-brazil

The Minute Fossil That Redrew The Arthropod Map

https://scienceblog.com/the-minute-fossil-that-redrew-the-arthropod-map/

Study provides first direct evidence that manual dexterity and brain evolution are connected

https://phys.org/news/2025-08-evidence-manual-dexterity-brain-evolution.html

Rare seasonal brain shrinkage in shrews is driven by water loss, not cell death, MRI study reveals

https://phys.org/news/2025-08-rare-seasonal-brain-shrinkage-shrews.html

Bigger Brains and Strong Immunity Linked to Longer Lifespans

https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-size-immunity-longevvity-28857/

Intelligence Evolved at Least Twice in Vertebrate Animals

https://www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence-evolved-at-least-twice-in-vertebrate-animals-20250407/

Ralph Holloway, Anthropologist Who Studied Brain's Evolution, Dies at 90

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/science/ralph-holloway-dead.html

What makes the human brain unique? We compared it with monkeys and apes to find out

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-human-brain-unique-monkeys-apes.html

The non-model organism “renaissance” has arrived

https://doi.org/10.53053/GMHL7976

Lions and tigers and bears: Long-lived zoo animals offer a promising venue to study mental health and neurodegenerative disorders

https://www.thetransmitter.org/animal-models/lions-and-tigers-and-bears-long-lived-zoo-animals-offer-a-promising-venue-to-study-mental-health-and-neurodegenerative-disorders/

Genetic study sheds light on changes that shaped human brain evolution

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-genetic-human-brain-evolution.html

Birds have developed complex brains independently from mammals, studies reveal

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-birds-complex-brains-independently-mammals.html?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=v2

Deep learning provides new view on 300 million years of brain evolution

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-deep-view-million-years-brain.html

Digitization of ‘breathtaking’ neuroanatomy slide collection offers untapped research gold mine

https://www.thetransmitter.org/evolution/digitization-of-breathtaking-neuroanatomy-slide-collection-offers-untapped-research-gold-mine/

Gene expression shifts help explain how a shrew changes brain size to match the seasons

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-gene-shifts-shrew-brain-size.html

Why did humans evolve big brains? A new idea bodes ill for our future

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26334991-100-why-did-humans-evolve-big-brains-a-new-idea-bodes-ill-for-our-future/

How brain evolution is linked to the use of tools

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-brain-evolution-linked-tools.html

Study links relative brain volume to temperament in diverse dog breeds

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-links-brain-volume-temperament-diverse.html

Exquisite bird fossil provides clues to the evolution of avian brains

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2456043-exquisite-bird-fossil-provides-clues-to-the-evolution-of-

avian-brains/

How do brains coordinate activity? From fruit flies to monkeys, scientists discover a universal principle

https://phys.org/news/2024-11-brains-fruit-flies-monkeys-scientists.html

Cat brains age like ours — and could help scientists to understand cognitive decline

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03492-1

Prolonged brain development of marmosets could serve as model for human evolution

https://phys.org/news/2024-10-prolonged-brain-marmosets-human-evolution.html

Mosaic Brain Evolution Drives Learning in Tropical Butterfly

https://neurosciencenews.com/mosaic-brain-evolution-drives-learning-in-tropical-butterfly/

The Larger Brains of Humans Come With a Tragic Cost, Study Finds

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-larger-brains-of-humans-come-with-a-tragic-cost-study-finds

Domestication causes smaller brain size in dogs than in the wolf: Study challenges notion

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-domestication-smaller-brain-size-dogs.html

Size doesn't matter for mammals with more complex brains, according to new study

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-size-doesnt-mammals-complex-brains.html