John Evans, a mathematician friend of mine in Cambridge England, came up with a formula that specifically allows one to estimate the relative complexity of nervous systems in the animal kingdom, from C. elegans to the human brain. It takes into account not just the number of neurons in the brain, but also the number of synaptic connections that link neurons to one another, and in a second version, the encephalization quotient. In one sense, the formula is simplistic, yet to my knowledge it is the first attempt at such a calculation, so it will be interesting to see if it actually works.

read more