Prologue: The (Very Simple) Story of the Human Brain ~ Suzana Herculano-Houzel
On Humans
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Neurons and Intelligence: A Comparative Analysis
This chapter examines the density of cortical neurons across species, highlighting that humans have about 16 billion neurons, leading to intriguing thoughts on intelligence hierarchies among animals. It also challenges traditional views on body size and neuron counts by illustrating cases like the neuron-dense crow and the relatively high number of neurons in elephants’ cerebellum. Additionally, the chapter explores unique neuron distributions in animals such as brown bears and raccoons, prompting questions about evolution and cognitive abilities.
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