U.S. researchers examined brain cells of Humpback Whales and reported on Monday that they share intelligence equivalent to human beings, apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins.
These cells were bragged to set humans and great apes apart from other mammals. Now even Humpback Whales have been found to have these spindle cells- specialized cells positioned in the brain occupied in processing emotions and help interact socially.
The spindle cells helps to transmit signals in the nervous system, and are characterized by a large spindle shaped soma, steadily narrowing into a sole apical dendrite (axon) in one direction, with only a single dendrite facing opposite.
Other types of neurons have large number of dendrites but having been found in only two very restricted regions in the brains, spindle cells are unique from the rest.
Scientists have discovered that these cells play an important role in a wide range of cognitive abilities, development of intelligent behavior and adaptive response to changing conditions and cognitive dissonance. The cells are largest and most abundant in humans, connected to a large part of the brain, evidencing their contributions to greater ability of hominids to focus on complicated problems.
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