Uncovering cognitive similarities and differences, conservation and innovation.

The article discusses the uncovering cognitive similarities and differences, conservation and innovation. Topics discussed include evidence that characteristics frequently cited for cognitive indispensability of brains can be crossed off the list comes from basic streams of work, one functional, the other mechanistic; and the narrative revealed by recent work, ranging from plant biology to developmental genetics, highlights the value of neuroscience to understanding the evolution of cognition.