(via Instapaper)

The idea that interested me most in this piece is the trade-off between the advantages of better cognitive power and its energy cost. So many organisms get by just fine without a central nervous system, using lower-tech chemical or electrical exchanges — the plasmids and biofilm web of bacteria colonies come to mind. Central neuronic hubs, of which the brain is the culmination, are a niche application, a marginal case where higher complexity provides a more cost-effective solution.

Also, I’m now scared of crows. Watching, scheming, cawing, brooding. Deciding when and how to peck at my juicy eyes. Shudder