Crow brains!!!

Tool-making new caledonian crows have large associative brain areas.

Mehlhorn J, Hunt GR, Gray RD, Rehkämper G, Güntürkün O.

Abstract

Animals with a high rate of innovative and associative-based behavior usually have large brains. New Caledonian (NC) crows stand out due to their tool manufacture, their generalized problem-solving abilities and an extremely high degree of encephalization. It is generally assumed that this increased brain size is due to the ability to process, associate and memorize diverse stimuli, thereby enhancing the propensity to invent new and complex behaviors in adaptive ways. However, this premise lacks firm empirical support since encephalization could also result from an increase of only perceptual and/or motor areas. Here, we compared the brain structures of NC crows with those of carrion crows, jays and sparrows. The brains of NC crows were characterized by a relatively large mesopallium, striatopallidal complex, septum and tegmentum. These structures mostly deal with association and motor-learning. This supports the hypothesis that the evolution of innovative or complex behavior requires a brain composition that increases the ability to associate and memorize diverse stimuli in order to execute complex motor output. Since apes show a similar correlation of cerebral growth and cognitive abilities, the evolution of advanced cognitive skills appears to have evolved independently in birds and mammals but with a similar neural orchestration.

Brain Behav Evol. 2010;75(1):63-70. Epub 2010 Mar 9.

Why is this cool?

 Crows and ravens are iconic animals. Seen everywhere from Nordic mythology where Odin has two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, to movies such as The Crow. Well, it turns out that those birds are extremely intelligent. 
 According to the abstract, the researchers took the brains of New Caledonian crows and compared them to other birds such as carrion crows, jays and sparrows. What they found was several areas in new caledonian crows are larger than in the other birds and that those areas are known for association and motor-learning. They note that in apes these areas are also large, leading one to think that these birds really are intelligent.

 Where does that leave us? Humans use to be the most intelligent animals on the planet, but now the pieces of behavior that distinguished us from other animals are being found everywhere. Is human intelligence astounding not for being completely different, but for being a higher degree? Ants form colonies, many animals hunt in packs, and there are many animals that live in herds. All of these can be considered proto-societies. Tool use has been seen in octopi, crows, and monkeys. Using tools is considered a big part of the human advances. Think about this: a tool is an inanimate object used to accomplish a task (my own definition, so it could be wrong). This includes guns, construction tools, clothes, cleaning implements, and hunting devices! The use of tools by animals suggests that the distinguishing feature of humans is not tool use. 
 What makes humans unique? Is it art or religion? I think the distinguishing feature is the ability of ideas to hijack our existence! Which encompasses both religion and art. When people are no longer starving or fighting for survival, they free their minds to explore thoughtspace! Maybe after thousands of years of exploring thoughtspace, they have made small adaptations that make entrance into thoughtspace easier. Eventually, they yearn for more thoughtspace, this manifests itself as art and religion and devotion to work. Why would thoughtspace become fixed in the human population? Because the byproducts of thoughtspace exploration have tremendous value in the real world? Byproducts? Not tool use, because any beast can use tools, but tool design and improvement. Anyway, it is flaky, but I think it might be something to consider.