Deep Time and the Evolution of Cognition
Talk by Prof. Dr. Onur Güntürkün
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Great apes like chimpanzees are smart and have a large neocortex. In comparison, birds like corvids and parrots have much smaller brains and no neocortex. This should cast a dim prospect on their cognitive abilities. But studies of the last two decades revealed that there is not a single cognitive ability of chimpanzees (brain weight 400g) that was not also demonstrated in corvids and parrots (brain weights 3-25g). How is that possible? This question keeps me awake because it challenges core assumptions on the neural fundaments of complex cognition. Meanwhile I realized that I must travel back into the deep time of vertebrate evolution to find answers. This talk is about this journey. |
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