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Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 50 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching.
brainstorming about the neocortex (pun intended!
1. since the cortex links the right and left hemispheres of the brain, maybe the neocortex in mammals has something to do with increased, more sophisticated communication and thus behavioral processes.
2. hormones are what control complex processes specific to mammals (such as producing milk or growing hair) so perhaps there is a connection between hormone processing and neocortex functioning, which in turn can affect behavior.
3. the cortex contains sulci and fulci which in part act to maximize surface area of the brain, which in turn increases number of and communication between neurons. maybe this physiological phenomenon is what allows mammals to behave differently from other animal classes.
I realized all of the guesses i posed attempt to answer the question of "why mammals behave differently" but none of my points account for "how mammals behave differently." Any other ideas? I'm curious!
and here's my final thought of the day: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/jokes.html