Sign in

howbrainsevolve.bsky.social

@howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
66 followers 29 following 35 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Fascinating synthesis examining uncertainty reduction as a primary reinforcer across behavioural domains. Explains the role of cortico-cerebellar loops in cross-domain sequence processing. A fundamental role for curiosity in natural behaviour. 4087/2/3/10.20935/AcadNeurosci8451
academia.edu
Uncertainty reduction as a candidate primary reinforcer: an evolutionary and neural account
This integrative review proposes that the reduction in uncertainty may function as a candidate primary reinforcer in humans. The proposed mechanism is positive prediction error coding by the mesolimbi...
030
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Cedric Boeckx @cedricboeckx.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
“modular evolution of neocortical size in primates is closely linked to the evolution of the visual system” (i.e., “enhanced visual processing, not expansion of the frontal lobe, drove the major increases in neocortical size”) 🧪🧠 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Fossil evidence favors a role for vision in the modular evolution of the primate neocortex
Neocortical expansion is a key innovation of crown primates, although fossil evidence for how the neocortex has evolved remains elusive. We studied neocortical evolution using virtual brain endocasts ...
1208
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The Visual Brain Hypothesis: my Perspective article in Science on a new paper by Richard Kay et al. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/.... DM me for access if required
science.org
The visual brain hypothesis
Virtual models of primate crania support visual system influence on brain size
092
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
My talk on embodied cognitive evolution as part of the workshop on 'Topics in Intelligence' at The Simons institute UC Berkeley: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH9u.... Many thanks to @shiryginosar.bsky.social and Gily Ginosar for organising
youtube.com
Embodied cognitive evolution
YouTube video by Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing
040
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Max Farnworth @maxfarnworth.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
A small contribution to an important topic, in Nature Reviews Biodiversity. I highlight @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social and Harvey's work in 2000 and illustrate it's pivotal role in our understanding into the principles of brain evolution. Have a read - it's short! www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
The principles underpinning the evolution of the brain - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
Nature Reviews Biodiversity - The principles underpinning the evolution of the brain
01910
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Macroevolutionary brain scaling is a microevolutionary metaphenomenon - full text of our new paper now available www.nature.com/articles/s41...
242
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Rachel Kendal @rachkendal.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Today sees the publication of the Theme Issue featuring the CES Transformation Fund grant scheme. Enjoy! royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3... @durhamdcerc.bsky.social @durhamanthropology.bsky.social @cultevolfunding.bsky.social @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social
Picture of front cover of Theme Issue entitled "Transforming cultural evolution research and its application to global futures."  The image on the front cover is of a Yao honey hunter in Mozambique holding retrieved honeycomb.
15330
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Yes! www.nature.com/articles/d41...
010
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
@royalsociety.org MUST strip Musk of his fellowship to retain credibility. He has brought the society into disrepute in the gravest manner. Calling on all FRSs, please act swiftly
010
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
New paper: Human dexterity and brains evolved hand in hand www.nature.com/articles/s42...
nature.com
Human dexterity and brains evolved hand in hand - Communications Biology
Thumbs and brains coevolved in primates. Across living and extinct species, longer thumbs predict bigger brains, highlighting the neural cost of dexterity.
134
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Durham University @durham.ac.uk · 26/08/2025
A new study co-authored by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social gives new insight into how human hands & minds evolved together. The research is published in Communications Biology & was led by Dr Joanna Baker of @uniofreading.bsky.social. Read more:👉 bit.ly/4myXT4c #DUresearch #DUinspire
bit.ly
Primate thumbs and brains evolved together, new study finds - Durham University
222
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
journals.biologists.com
Pathway to Independence – an interview with Max Farnworth
Max Farnworth completed his PhD in Gregor Bucher's lab at the University of Göttingen, Germany, where he explored how heterochrony shapes the evolution and development of insect brains. He then joined...
010
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Delighted to see this work out in PNAS. The idea that got me into butterflies, started on it in 2011 but took the intellectual energy of @benitoexplains.bsky.social, and the support of a great team, to develop it and put it all together. Thanks to #NERC @ukri.org for funding 🙏🏻
1366
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Humans may not have a uniquely specialised memory for sequences - it may be more to do with how tasks are culturally scaffolded and what they “mean” to participants. New paper
030
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Interesting new study demonstrates "cerebellar connectivity to higher-order networks at birth, which generally strengthen with age, emphasizing the cerebellum’s early role in cognitive processing beyond sensory and motor functions" www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Functional development of the human cerebellum from birth to age five - Nature Communications
Using over 1,000 early childhood fMRI scans, the authors mapped cerebellocortical connectivity, revealing early integration with higher-order networks and age-related refinement, gradients, asymmetry,...
010
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Cedric Boeckx @cedricboeckx.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Interesting new @medrxivpreprint.bsky.social study, bearing on the interpretation of GWAS results: 
“Common and rare genetic variants show network convergence for a majority of human traits” 🧪🧬 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
medrxiv.org
Common and rare genetic variants show network convergence for a majority of human traits
While both common and rare variants contribute to the genetic etiology of complex traits, whether their impacts manifest through the same effector genes and molecular mechanisms is not well understood...
2249
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Elli Leadbeater @ellileadbeater.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Selection Shapes Diverse Animal Minds: our special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org Phil Trans B on the diverse evolutionary processes underlying cognitive evolution is out today. Thanks to all our contributors! royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1929
05031
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Embodied cognitive evolution and the limits of convergence - Louise Barrett and me on comparative psychology eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
030
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
cell.com
Constructing language: a framework for explaining acquisition
Explaining how children build a language system is a central goal of research in language acquisition, with broad implications for language evolution, adult language processing, and artificial intelli...
010
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Trump on embodied cognition (via ChatGPT)
010
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Quite happy to see the website we made for #Darwin’s 200th birthday is alive and well once more, and more extensive than i remembered! darwin200.christs.cam.ac.uk
darwin200.christs.cam.ac.uk
Home | Darwin
022
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
One week left to apply!
024
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Cedric Boeckx @cedricboeckx.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Interesting Science Advances study probing the genetics of human brain geometry (beyond volume), using data from @ukbiobank.bsky.social 🧪🧠🧬
science.org
Beyond volume: Unraveling the genetics of human brain geometry
Multivariate association study reveals a genetic basis of brain shape beyond volume and relations to neurodegenerative diseases.
091
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
katja heuer @k4tj4.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Thrilled for the upcoming TIBBE online talks &discussions with the amazing @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social & Susan Healy around how do we better connect brain structure, function & behaviours? Next Wednesday, May 28, 2pm UTC, 4pm Paris 🧠🐒🦜Join us www.crowdcast.io/c/linking-br... @compcogsoc.bsky.social
crowdcast.io
Crowdcast
Where the world gathers
045
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
“males invest more on locomotor control, flight stability and sky-compass navigation which may have evolved in response to sex-specific behaviours, like courtship display…females have larger mushroom bodies that strongly and positively covary with the optic lobes…” Lovely work!
000
howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
I made this slide during his first presidency. It illustrates how not to make evolutionary inferences from comparative data (dashed red line, although that could also be stock markets). Today more than ever it seems like an insult to chimpanzees
010
Reposted by @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social
Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 06/03/2025
This year marks 360 years since the first edition of #PhilosophicalTransactions, launching the world’s longest-running scientific journal. Join us as we take a 360° view of publishing, exploring its history, reflecting on its present impact, and imagining its future. royalsociety.org/journals/pub...
53514