How did brains evolve? Why did brains evolve? What were the precursors to brains in evolutionary terms? Do we have living examples of various stages of brain evolution in existence now? If so what are they are what do they tell us about the evolutionary paths required to eventually lead to creatures with brains?
How does the evolution of consciousness tie in with the evolutionary development of brains?
Human brains are considered to be the pinnacle of brian evolution but how clever are other animals and what evolutionary pressures could have led to the development of their brains? Are they the same pressures that led to human intelligence or are they the product of different factors and parallel development?
Have brains evolved only once or, like eyes, have they evolved via a variety of paths?
I have no real knowledge on this subject, no axe to grind and no deep insights to share. I am asking thee questions because I know that I do not know the answers. Not because I think that I do. I ask because I am interested to know what the current scientific thinking and theories are regards this matter.
If this list of questions is not considered complete enough to be a topic in it's own right then I fully understand and will get googling instead.
However I thought it might be a subject that EvC memebers have some interest in, and knowledge of. It is also not a topic I have seen discussed here previously.
If promoted I guess it should go in the Biological Evolution area.
Edited by Straggler, : No reason given.
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