Scientists Reveal Creatures With Bigger Brains May Not Be More Intelligent

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience has revealed that bigger brain size doesn't necessarily mean more intelligence.

The researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) compared mice and rats and found very similar levels of intelligence. They observed a task that tested perceptual ability as well as adaptability of mice and rats and both performed iy in a similar manner.

While conducting the study, the scientists could see that rats learned somewhat faster than mice. The training protocol, which was developed and optimized specifically for rats, might account for the slight advantage, according to researchers Anthony Zador and Santiago Jaramillo.

Researchers believe the finding of roughly equal intelligence has broad implications for cognition research. They also discovered that mice, and all the genetic tools available in them, can be used to study the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making. (Image: Thinkstock)