There must be something about the human brain that's different from the brains of other animals ' something that enables humans to plan, imagine the future, solve crossword puzzles, tell sarcastic jokes and do the many other things that together make our species unique. And something that explains why humans get devastating conditions that other animals don't ' such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Researchers can now snoop on what happens inside millions of brain cells by cataloguing the genes, RNA and proteins they produce. And by studying brain tissue, scientists are learning key lessons about how the organ develops and functions. One is that the differences between human brain cells and those of other species are often subtle. Another is that the human brain develops slowly compared with other animals. But how these features give rise to our cognitive skills is still a mystery ' although researchers have plenty of promising leads. Researchers often use a ratio called the...
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