From Wednesday to Friday 23 June, the Museum of Human Evolution will host the 'Cortical Evolution' conference, where leading specialists from different countries will debate and share new concepts on the evolution of the cerebral cortex in mammals and primates, in order to improve our understanding of the factors involved in the evolution of the cortex in relation to the function and development of the human brain. A total of 67 professors and students from fifteen European, American, Asian and African countries will take part, and 20 scientific conferences will be held and 27 scientific posters will be published.   

 

These talks will address issues related to palaeoanthropology, cortical development and expansion, or cell type evolution and ill present the latest discoveries on stem cells linked to brain development and evolution in mammals, birds and reptiles, with a special contribution to the study of this subject in primates and hominins.   

 

The conference will conclude with a public lecture on Thursday 22 June, 'Evolution and development of the mammalian cortex', given by Verónica Martínez Cerdeño, Professor of Pathology and Director of the Brain Development Anatomy Laboratory at the University of California, Davis (USA). The talk will start at 8:15 pm in the MEH auditorium, with free entry until full capacity is reached, and will be available to watch on the museum's YouTube channel. The speaker will discuss the developmental and evolutionary processes that led to the formation of the mammalian cortex. She will also explain the mammalian cerebral cortex, which has increased in size over time. This growth is the result of two main events: radial expansion and tangential expansion of the cortex, attributed to developmental changes. During development, the stem cells that form neurons have evolved to create new types and behaviours, creating a larger cortex. 

 

In addition to the conference sessions,  in the afternoon, after a welcome by the MEH's Director, Aurora Martín, participants will be taken on a guided tour of the Museum of Human Evolution. On Friday, they will visit the archaeological sites of the Sierra de Atapuerca. You can view the conference programme and the different speakers at  https://ventricular.org/corticalevolution23/speakers/  and you can register at  https://ventricular.org/corticalevolution23/

 

Researchers Emiliano Bruner, Stephen Noctor, and Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño were responsible for the scientific organisation of the conference.