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 This old version has been archived in place, and will continue to be available for teachers and students who are using it.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
  
• The Brain Magnified

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

Degree of magnification	Monkey	Cat	Rat
4x
10x
20x	to come

Unfortunately, we don't have photomicrographs at each magnification for every animal. However, an interesting comparison is between the cat and the rat at 20x (highest power) magnification. The neurons in these pictures look VERY similar, don't they? Amazing!

At the same magnification, the neurons of each animal look very similar and even identical. Why, then, do you suppose these animals behave in different ways if even the neurons look similar? If the building block of the brain (the neuron) is the same in every type of animal's brain, why don't all animals act the same????

No one has a true or certain answer to that question. However, often people generalize that one must look at the larger picture to get an answer. Others argue that more needs to be known about the neurons in particular. What do you think? Do we learn more by looking at the larger-scale structures of the brain or studying each individual neuron?? Learn more about neurons by clicking on the button below...

Go back to the beginning of this magnification section

Huh? Can we start over?