Recent Publications and Press Releases
The first brains in the world of animals marked a decisive step in evolution. Living beings could now process information and identify opportunities as well as dangers. But how did the first brains evolve and what form did they take? Fred Wolf from the University of Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization together with Pawel Burkhardt from the Michael Sars Centre at the University of Bergen, … Continued
International research team records brain activity of octopuses swimming freely for first time
With eight arms, large eyes, and shape-shifting skin, octopus’ bodies appear almost otherworldly. Their cognitive abilities fascinate us because they are comparable to those of vertebrates, yet our evolutionary lines diverged about 550 million years ago. The combination of their intelligence and uniqueness prompted neuroscientists to study the brains of octopods as early as 150 years ago. … Continued
How do deeper areas of the brain control the dynamics in the cerebral cortex? This question is the focus of a new research network coordinated by the Allen Institute in Seattle, America. A sub-project is located at the Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN). There, the scientists aim to elucidate how the cerebral cortex interacts with subcortical structures. … Continued
