The article discusses the independent evolution of complex neural circuits in birds and mammals, challenging the notion of a single ancestral source for vertebrate intelligence. Through comparisons of brain structures, researchers have found that birds display significant cognitive abilities akin to those of mammals, despite having smaller and less organized brains. The complexities of tracking evolutionary pathways are acknowledged, as any evidence of their common ancestor's brain has long since disappeared. This points to the likelihood of intelligence arising multiple times across different vertebrate lineages.
Research suggests that complex neural circuits evolved independently in birds and mammals, indicating that the development of intelligence in vertebrates occurred multiple times through evolution.
"A bird with a 10-gram brain is doing pretty much the same as a chimp with a 400-gram brain. How is it possible?" explains Onur Günterkün.
The debate over vertebrate intelligence includes two main theories: a shared ancestry for intelligence or independent evolution of neural circuits in birds and mammals.
Understanding the evolutionary paths taken by vertebrates in developing intelligence is complicated by the loss of direct evidence from common ancestors.
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