Science cover study solves the mystery of the century: Why are their brains so "simple" and so clever?

Many birds are very clever.
some scientific experiments have shown that crows can recognize themselves from mirrors and make tools; pigeons learn English spelling at a level comparable to that of six-year-olds, and can distinguish between Monet and Picasso's paintings.
Despite the remarkable cognitive abilities of birds, one problem has puzzled scientists for more than a hundred years: their brain tissue seems so simple that it cannot be compared to the mammals we humans represent.
according to scientific opinion since the 19th century, the new cortical layer of the mammalian brain has formed an orderly hierarchical structure in both horizontal and vertical directions, an important organizational feature that provides the basis for cognitive functions such as learning and memory.
, the birds' brains appear to be densely stacked with gray cells.
published in the latest issue of Science have finally solved the century's mystery.
ruhr University Bochum university in Germany used a new technique of high-resolution imaging to analyze the brains of a variety of birds.
technique, called 3D polarization imaging, repeats the image of the brain with light in different directions, showing the direction of individual nerve fibers.
to the researchers' surprise, analysis of the pigeon's brain showed that most of its nerve fibers were crisscrossed, forming horizontal layers and vertical columns, much like mammalian cortical tissue.
next set of experiments, the scientists injected a neurotranstracer into the brains of pigeons and owls, examining the connections between nerve cells.
in the brain region that processes sensory information, the researchers also observed the ordered tissue of nerve fibers.
In another research paper, scientists used a similar approach to testing primate awareness, examining Corvus coone, focusing on a brain region in their brain called nidopallium caudolaterale, which is thought to be responsible for advanced cognitive function, similar to the pre-lob skin of our mammals.
the researchers trained two crows to perform visual tests while recording the single-cell activity of hundreds of neurons in their NCL with implanted electrodes.
found that when crows realized that visual stimuli existed and did not exist, individual neurons responded in different patterns accordingly.
researchers point out that this neural activity may be a sign of consciousness.
scientific journal praised the two new studies as groundbreaking and offer new insights into the origins of complex cognitive abilities such as consciousness from the perspective of neuro-hardware.
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