Single mathematical model governs primate brain shape across species

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…