Bird Brains Have as Many Neurons as Some Primates

[extherian]

It turns out that crows, parrots and other species of birds [LINK] owe their remarkable intellects to their extremely dense brains, allowing for neuron counts comparable to much larger animals in much smaller bodies.

[SeanR]

It turns out that crows, parrots and other species of birds [LINK] owe their remarkable intellects to their extremely dense brains, allowing for neuron counts comparable to much larger animals in much smaller bodies.

Ambulatory S1.2 here I come.

[stevebowers]

One reason the miniature humans of Blefuscu and Clade Nisse can be sophont despite being small is that their neurons are arranged more like bird brains than primate brains. Presumably they have some unusual behavioral traits for this reason.

[extherian]

It follows then that normal-sized humans such as Homo Superior could optimise their brains in the same manner, greatly increasing their neuron count and intellectual capacity.

[SeanR]

It follows then that normal-sized humans such as Homo Superior could optimise their brains in the same manner, greatly increasing their neuron count and intellectual capacity.

I was thinking Athena.

[Rynn]

Ambulatory S1.2 here I come.

S1s can already fit in a human-like body. They could even fit into a large dog. They tend to be more spread about because of how limiting one body is. S2s are much larger, but can improve size with higher toposophic technology. And of course they can also be split over/directly remote control a myriad of bodies.

It follows then that normal-sized humans such as Homo Superior could optimise their brains in the same manner, greatly increasing their neuron count and intellectual capacity.

The superior article has long talked about how their brains are architecturally very different to baselines and nebs. Neuron count would be one change among many and easily fits with current cannon.

[SeanR]

Ambulatory S1.2 here I come.

S1s can already fit in a human-like body. They could even fit into a large dog. They tend to be more spread about because of how limiting one body is. S2s are much larger, but can improve size with higher toposophic technology. And of course they can also be split over/directly remote control a myriad of bodies.

My impression, from reading about S1 brain size, was that fitting it into a human frame required a denser matrix than human neural tissue was capable of; typically one that is clearly artificial. The SNARE users can be human scale because their brains are basically diamondoid processor where their biological brains used to be. The Athena are a tad larger than baseline, but use a "brain" that is biological, but not directly comparable to human neural tissue. Further, the Athena brain is bolstered by a fair amount of compubone in the skull and upper spine. Other articles, either currently or historically, mention ultimate chips as a component in miniaturizing a nearhu intelligence to fit into a significantly smaller body. I recall, vaguely, that being the case for the parrots, and more recently and with greater certainty, the article on the laundry. I haven't read the article on the parrots in several...months?,years?, so I can't say for certainty that my memory is accurate, nor do I have any idea whether or not it is still the article I remember reading.

[extherian]

It's worth keeping in mind that the Athenaeid's compubones are used for memory storage only. Even their actual brains consist mostly of power storage, cooling and supporting structures, with only a tiny portion needed for transapient thinking.