In warm-blooded animals, parents put more energy into their offspring, and this, in turn, contributes to the development of larger brains.
We have become wiser in part because our brains have grown. And parents helped people in this, passing on the appropriate genetic traits, as well as behavior and social factors, to their descendants.
This is stated in the article Plos Biology.
It is noted that a large brain often needs a lot of energy. Until now, for the corresponding calculations, mainly the brain sizes of adults have been used and compared. At the same time, less attention was paid to the energy costs of young organisms with a developing brain.
Paradoxically, the large brain of young animals, which requires a lot of energy, must first be “brought” to full readiness, and the young individuals themselves are not able to satisfy their energy needs. This contradiction can be explained by parental care, which is much more pronounced in warm-blooded species than in cold-blooded ones, which usually only lay eggs, and then provide independence to the offspring.
Parental care is sometimes more, sometimes less even. In some species, the mother takes care of the young, while in others, the father. Other relatives and the community can also help with feeding, protection from predators, carrying or warming the baby, but most of the care is usually taken by parents who pass on their own genes.
Scientists have hypothesized that in warm-blooded animals, parents put more energy into their young, and this, in turn, contributes to the development of a larger brain. Previous studies on investing parental energy in offspring were analyzed in detail. It turned out that more energy spent on young individuals increased the chances of offspring to survive.
It has also been demonstrated that species that only lay eggs and then don’t care for the next generation cannot provide it with the energy it needs for a larger brain.
“The elimination of a major evolutionary limitation on brain size has resulted in a significant increase in brain size and cognitive potential in birds and mammals,” the publication writes.
As Cursor reported, scientists have figured out how the brain stores memories. It turns out that the human brain is rebuilt with each new memory. This is due to the action of synapses, or tiny connections between brain cells. Brain cells, or neurons, communicate with each other through a complex electrochemical system.
A change in the electrical charge of one cell causes the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters across the synapses. The neurotransmitters are then taken up by a neuron on the other side of the gap, where they cause electrical changes in that cell.
Previously, Cursor wrote that scientists have discovered another brain in the human body.