Evolution of Human cognition and consciousness

The nature of Human cognition and consciousness is one of the oldest questions, for which we hope to get a clear understanding in the 21st century. While this is a trans-disciplinary topic, answer to this most important question related to humanity will come only when we approach it from the evolutionary angle. Reasons being, similar to other tissues and organs (and their biochemistry and physiology), our brain too is a product of evolution. Our behavioural manifestation, similar to other life-history traits, is a result of natural selection to ensure better survival strategies to changing environment. I will discuss few recent studies that highlight how simple model organisms perform complex cognitive tasks that may help understand their neural correlates and subsequently the mechanism by which they are manifested.