Collaborative Research: The Origin of the Large Brains of Cetaceans

合作研究：鲸类大脑的起源

• 批准号: 2142526
• 负责人: Johannes Thewissen
• 金额: $ 55.14万
• 依托单位: Northeast Ohio Medical University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-15 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2142526&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Origin; Large; Brains

Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) have the largest brains on the planet, ever. Even when scaled for body size, cetacean brains are second only to humans in size. Expansion of brain size in cetaceans has been considered a consequence of echolocation and/or an increase in the number of neurons. This project will use the study of fossil cetaceans to identify factors lead to brain expansion. Because cetaceans are a charismatic group of mammals with an exceptional fossil record, this study will use brain evolution as a case study that engages high school juniors and seniors from a rural STEM school in Ohio, as well as Alaskan high school and college students. Students will take a course focused on Whales, Seals, and Evolution, which integrates broader geological and biological concepts. A symposium organized by the Sitka Science Center in Alaska will be used to present findings to the general public. This study analyzes a collection of the earliest fossil cetaceans to identify factors contributing to the evolution of brain size. The project team will test the hypothesis that the acquisition of echolocation led to increases in brain size. This will be accomplished by studying changes in ear shape in fossil whales over time to identify when high-frequency hearing evolved. In addition, the team will test whether size increases in the cetacean brain are a consequence of increasing numbers of neurons or other support cells. This will be accomplished by comparing the number of neurons within the brains of living echolocating and non-echolocating whales relative to other cells within the brain. This study will further understanding of cetacean evolution by pinpointing when the expansion of the brain occurred, how this expansion relates to the onset of high-frequency hearing, and by quantifying the diversity and abundance of cells within the brain.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

鲸类（鲸鱼，海豚，海豚）有史以来最大的大脑。即使缩放体大小，鲸类大脑也仅次于大小的人类。鲸类中大脑大小的扩展被认为是回声定位和/或神经元数量增加的结果。 该项目将利用化石鲸类的研究来识别导致大脑扩张的因素。 由于鲸类动物是一个具有特殊化石记录的哺乳动物的魅力型，因此本研究将使用大脑进化作为一个案例研究，吸引了俄亥俄州一所农村STEM学校以及阿拉斯加高中和大学生的高中大三学生和老年人。 学生将参加专注于鲸鱼，密封和进化的课程，该课程融合了更广泛的地质和生物学概念。阿拉斯加的Sitka科学中心组织的研讨会将用于向公众提出发现。这项研究分析了最早的化石鲸类动物的集合，以识别导致大脑大小进化的因素。 项目团队将检验以下假设，即获得回声定位会导致大脑大小的增加。 这将通过随着时间的流逝研究化石鲸中的耳朵形状的变化来实现这一点，以确定何时演变高频听力。 此外，团队将测试鲸类大脑中的大小是否增加是增加神经元或其他支持细胞数量的结果。 这将通过比较与大脑中其他细胞相对于其他细胞的生活回声和非回鲸鲸的大脑中神经元的数量来实现。 这项研究将通过确定何时发生大脑的扩展来进一步了解叶田的进化，这种扩展如何与高频听力的发作以及量化大脑内细胞的多样性和丰富性，这是NSF奖的。这奖反映了NSF的立法使命，并认为通过基金会的智力优点和广泛的范围进行评估，这是值得通过评估来进行评估的。