With the help of directed evolution, scientists inch closer to developing viral vectors that can cross the human blood-brain barrier to deliver gene therapy.

Noncoding RNAs are proving to be critical players in the evolution of brain anatomy and cognitive complexity.

Paola Arlotta seeks to understand the complex symphony of brain development in vitro by using organoid models.

Gene expression controlled from afar may have spurred the spurt in brain evolution that led to modern humans.

A single amino acid substitution in a protein causes increased neuron production in the frontal lobes of humans compared to Neanderthals—a tiny difference that could have given our species a cognitive edge, researchers say.

Animals with human cells could provide donor organs or help us understand neuropsychiatric disorders.

Three members of a gene family called NOTCH2NL may have been involved in the evolution of humans’ big cortex.

As researchers sequence the DNA of thousands of kids with autism, dozens of genetic subgroups are emerging.

Researchers aim to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which a single genotype gives rise to diverse castes in eusocial organisms.

How male and female brains diverge is a hotly debated topic, but the study of model organisms points to differences that cannot be ignored.