Carl Zimmer discusses a new study on the metabolic quarter of our evolution. The most striking differences in metabolism compared with non-human mammals were in the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain primarily occupied with executive function. This is exactly what we might expect, since long-term planning, decision making, a capacity for self-reflection and introspection, and personality expression are largely what separate us from other animals. Large observed differences in the region responsible for these functions may go a long way toward explaining any evolutionary discontinuities with other animals. Compared with other animals, we humans have ravenous brains. Twenty percent of the calories we take in each day are consumed by our neurons as they send signals to one another.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 17:16:14 +0000
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