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 This old version has been archived in place, and will continue to be available for teachers and students who are using it.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

• Why?
  
• 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

A neuron (or nerve cell) is a type of cell which is the basic building block of the nervous system. Neurons send and receive electrochemical messages to and from other neurons. The 50 billion or so nerve cells of the brain work together to coordinate everything from our heart beating to complex behaviors such as talking with a friend or feeling compassion.

Click in a box below for more information about neurons and the nervous system

Do all brains of all animals have neurons??

What does a neuron look like and how does it work?

Fun facts about neurons

Go to the neuron and intelligence

Huh? Can we start over?