Purpose

The purpose of this website is to make science, in particular neuroscience, accessible and interesting for the general public. The average person who may not have any prior knowledge of neurobiology can ideally use this website for information not only about brains in general but also about comparative brain structure. In addition, my hope is that it will be equally as engaging for people who do, indeed, have prior knowledge to the subject. As a resource for images of various brains and numerous photomicrographs, the website can be used by students at a variety of levels.

Another principle goal of the website is to highlight questions surrounding the issue of intelligence. Behavioral complexity is very interesting, especially when multiple species of animals are compared. The website does not direct questions in a prescribed direction, but rather attempts to lead one towards questions of one's own. For example, the website may encourage a student to ask questions including:

• how do we define intelligence?
• how can we really compare a human with a rat?
• where does intelligence lie within the brain?
• what is an effective way of studying intelligence?
• what methods do scientists use that seem most effective?
• is brain size the most practical method for evaluating intelligence?
• what are the correlations between behavioral complexity and other structural elements of the brain?
• what are our assumptions about intelligence?
• are we biased to believe that humans are more intelligent?