This web exhibit was first built in 2000 by Patricia Anne Kinser, Haverford College, under the direction of Paul Grobstein, Bryn Mawr College. The updated version of Comparative Neuroanatomy and Intelligence is now online at http://serendipstudio.org/exchange/brains. This old version has been archived in place, and will continue to be available for teachers and students who are using it.

Home Page

Compare Brains

• Pictures
  
• Similarities
  
• Differences

Compare Brain and Body Sizes

• Brains & Bodies
  
• Equalize body size
  
• Equilize brain size

Compare Brain Structures- Slices and Slides

• Directional terminology
  
• Sagittal cuts
• Main structures
• What's the point: magnification

The Neuron- Up Close and Personal

• Jello, mush, or neuron?
  
• Neurons in animals
  
• What is a neuron?
• Fun facts

The Question of Intelligence

• Why do we care?
  
• Methods for studying brain & intelligence

Links

Glossary

Bibliography

Now that body size and brain size are out of the equation, are there any differences between all these brains?

It seems that there are still structural differences that are quite apparent in all these brains.

Some brains seem to have more grooves and indentations in the cortex than others.

Some brains seem to have larger or more noticeable structures than others.




Some brains of animals which we assume would be similar actually look quite different (for example, a squirrel, left, and a rabbit, right).

So, in other words, although we've made all the brains equal in size, there still seems to be some differences that have nothing to do with size. This leads us to a question: is intelligence and behavioral complexity more related to size of the brain or to some kind of structural difference within the brain? Why don't we look closer and find out?!

You now have a choice . . . Do you want to look closer into these brains and examine various structures? Or do you want to look at intelligence issues?

Yes, let's slice into these brains!

I want to talk about intelligence, please

Huh? Can we start over?