From fossils to mind

Alexandra A. de Sousa; Amélie Beaudet; Tanya Calvey; Ameline Bardo; Julien Benoit; Christine J. Charvet; Colette Dehay; Aida Gómez-Robles; Philipp Gunz; Katja Heuer; Martijn P. van den Heuvel; Shawn Hurst; Pascaline Lauters; Denné Reed; Mathilde Salagnon; Chet C. Sherwood; Felix Ströckens; Mirriam Tawane; Orlin S. Todorov; Roberto Toro; Yongbin Wei

doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4

From fossils to mind

Alexandra A. de Sousa^*, Amélie Beaudet^*, Tanya Calvey^*, Ameline Bardo, Julien Benoit, Christine J. Charvet, Colette Dehay, Aida Gómez-Robles, Philipp Gunz, Katja Heuer, Martijn P. van den Heuvel, Shawn Hurst, Pascaline Lauters, Denné Reed, Mathilde Salagnon, Chet C. Sherwood, Felix Ströckens, Mirriam Tawane, Orlin S. Todorov, Roberto ToroYongbin Wei

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Natural Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

28 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology’s approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.

Original language	English
Article number	636
Pages (from-to)	1-21
Number of pages	21
Journal	Communications Biology
Volume	6
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4
Publication status	Published - 12 Jun 2023

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2023. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

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10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 2.61 MBLicence: CC BY

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de Sousa, A. A., Beaudet, A., Calvey, T., Bardo, A., Benoit, J., Charvet, C. J., Dehay, C., Gómez-Robles, A., Gunz, P., Heuer, K., van den Heuvel, M. P., Hurst, S., Lauters, P., Reed, D., Salagnon, M., Sherwood, C. C., Ströckens, F., Tawane, M., Todorov, O. S., ... Wei, Y. (2023). From fossils to mind. Communications Biology, 6(1), 1-21. Article 636. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4

@article{da1313aff957449287ece8f10bdf0d71,

title = "From fossils to mind",

abstract = "Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology{\textquoteright}s approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.",

author = "{de Sousa}, {Alexandra A.} and Am{\'e}lie Beaudet and Tanya Calvey and Ameline Bardo and Julien Benoit and Charvet, {Christine J.} and Colette Dehay and Aida G{\'o}mez-Robles and Philipp Gunz and Katja Heuer and {van den Heuvel}, {Martijn P.} and Shawn Hurst and Pascaline Lauters and Denn{\'e} Reed and Mathilde Salagnon and Sherwood, {Chet C.} and Felix Str{\"o}ckens and Mirriam Tawane and Todorov, {Orlin S.} and Roberto Toro and Yongbin Wei",

note = "Copyright the Author(s) 2023. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher. ",

year = "2023",

month = jun,

day = "12",

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de Sousa, AA, Beaudet, A, Calvey, T, Bardo, A, Benoit, J, Charvet, CJ, Dehay, C, Gómez-Robles, A, Gunz, P, Heuer, K, van den Heuvel, MP, Hurst, S, Lauters, P, Reed, D, Salagnon, M, Sherwood, CC, Ströckens, F, Tawane, M, Todorov, OS, Toro, R & Wei, Y 2023, 'From fossils to mind', Communications Biology, vol. 6, no. 1, 636, pp. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04803-4

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AU - de Sousa, Alexandra A.

AU - Beaudet, Amélie

AU - Calvey, Tanya

AU - Bardo, Ameline

AU - Benoit, Julien

AU - Charvet, Christine J.

AU - Dehay, Colette

AU - Gómez-Robles, Aida

AU - Gunz, Philipp

AU - Heuer, Katja

AU - van den Heuvel, Martijn P.

AU - Hurst, Shawn

AU - Lauters, Pascaline

AU - Reed, Denné

AU - Salagnon, Mathilde

AU - Sherwood, Chet C.

AU - Ströckens, Felix

AU - Tawane, Mirriam

AU - Todorov, Orlin S.

AU - Toro, Roberto

AU - Wei, Yongbin

N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2023. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2023/6/12

Y1 - 2023/6/12

N2 - Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology’s approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.

AB - Fossil endocasts record features of brains from the past: size, shape, vasculature, and gyrification. These data, alongside experimental and comparative evidence, are needed to resolve questions about brain energetics, cognitive specializations, and developmental plasticity. Through the application of interdisciplinary techniques to the fossil record, paleoneurology has been leading major innovations. Neuroimaging is shedding light on fossil brain organization and behaviors. Inferences about the development and physiology of the brains of extinct species can be experimentally investigated through brain organoids and transgenic models based on ancient DNA. Phylogenetic comparative methods integrate data across species and associate genotypes to phenotypes, and brains to behaviors. Meanwhile, fossil and archeological discoveries continuously contribute new knowledge. Through cooperation, the scientific community can accelerate knowledge acquisition. Sharing digitized museum collections improves the availability of rare fossils and artifacts. Comparative neuroanatomical data are available through online databases, along with tools for their measurement and analysis. In the context of these advances, the paleoneurological record provides ample opportunity for future research. Biomedical and ecological sciences can benefit from paleoneurology’s approach to understanding the mind as well as its novel research pipelines that establish connections between neuroanatomy, genes and behavior.

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ER -

From fossils to mind

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Global patterns of mammalian biodiversity loss over the last 50,000 years

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From fossils to mind

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Global patterns of mammalian biodiversity loss over the last 50,000 years

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