{
  "id": 8415307,
  "title": "A comparative framework for neocortical sulcal anatomy in pinnipeds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/a-comparative-framework-for-neocortical-sulcal-anatomy-in-pinnipeds",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-19T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.17.752275v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The study of neocortical sulcal anatomy in pinnipeds, which are marine-dwelling relatives of terrestrial carnivorans, offers a unique opportunity to explore how brain organization adapts to life in water. By employing a standardized framework initially designed for land-dwelling mammals (fissiped carnivorans) and analyzing cortical surfaces reconstructed from MRI scans of post-mortem specimens, researchers have developed criteria to identify major sulci in nine species across all three extant pinniped families. These findings reveal that while the fundamental sulcal patterns are largely conserved between pinnipeds and fissipeds, pinnipeds display distinct modifications. These include a highly intricate, branched pseudosylvian sulcus and unique frontoparietal sulcal configurations, with additional family-specific variations. Such differences in sulcal patterns could be linked to specialized adaptations for locomotion, tactile sensing, and vocalization in marine environments. Consequently, this comparative framework not only establishes a uniform anatomical basis for studying cortical organization across Carnivora but also provides hypotheses regarding how brain structure diversifies in response to behavioral and ecological adaptations in aquatic life.",
  "summary": "The transition of pinnipeds from terrestrial ancestors into marine environments provides a unique opportunity to examine how cortical organisation has changed with adaptation to life in water. Here, we examined neocortical sulcal anatomy in nine species representing all three extant pinniped families using cortical surfaces reconstructed from post-mortem MRI. Building on a standardised framework…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}