Personal Health Solutions from NaturalNews Replace your toxic laundry detergent with natural laundry soap that grows on trees! (NEW source!) This top "underground" natural health newsletter brings you amazing new natural cures each month. Save $100! How to treat and cure over 100 health conditions using little-known health secrets How to halt type-2 diabetes with nutritional therapy - over 50% cure rate proven in studies End cravings with this guide to natural appetite suppressants (Download edition available.) How to blend nutritious meals in minutes with Adams' Superfood smoothie recipes (Delicious!) Breakthrough LED lighting technology prevents global warming, saves 90% on your lighting bill • Browse more health books... • Shop our eco-friendly products... All sales help fund naturalnews operations.

Patrick Hof and Estel Van der Gucht of the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York studied the brains of humpback whales and suggested that brain size might be a factor as the spindle neurons were found in the same location in toothed whales with the largest brains. As a rule, baleen whales such as humpbacks and others that filter water for food are considered less intelligent than toothed whales such as orcas.

The researchers reported that the information might clear up whale behaviors such as intricate communication, alliance forming, cooperation, cultural transmission and tool usage. The function of spindle neurons is not yet clear, but they may be involved in learning, recognizing the world around oneself, and other functions of cognition. However, that means they may also be vulnerable to brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, autism and schizophrenia.

Spindle neurons, the researchers said, probably first showed up in the common ancestor of hominids, humans and great apes roughly 15 million years ago, and are not found in lesser apes or monkeys. Cetaceans, on the other hand, would probably have evolved spindle neurons earlier, maybe as far back as 30 million years ago, the researchers said, adding that the neurons either only appeared in animals with the largest brains or evolved several times independently.

The researchers reported that the humpbacks' cerebral cortexes had island-like structures -- which have been found in other mammals -- that may have evolved as a way to promote fast, efficient communication between the neurons.

"In spite of the relative scarcity of information on many cetacean species, it is important to note in this context that sperm whales, killer whales, and certainly humpback whales, exhibit complex social patterns that included intricate communication skills, coalition-formation, cooperation, cultural transmission and tool usage," the researchers wrote. "It is thus likely that some of these abilities are related to comparable histologic complexity in brain organization in cetaceans and in hominids."

###

Related Articles

Additional Resources: whales IQ brain cells	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/021191.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/021191.html">Researchers: Humpback whales found to share high IQ brain cells with humans</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts