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Mind

Single mathematical model governs primate brain shape across species

An analysis of primate brains shows that the pattern of folds on the surface follows the same mathematical pattern across species

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

15 March 2024

human brain

The human brain is similar to other primate brains at the mathematical level

Sunny/Getty Images

A single mathematical model can explain the pattern of folds seen on the brains of a range of primates, from bush babies to macaques to humans.

Bruno Mota at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and his colleagues have spent years trying to find out whether there is a mathematical description for the crumpled, fractal shape of the cerebral cortex, which is the outer layer of a brain region called the cerebrum.

“The question seems trivial because you can just pick up…

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