In this week’s Medical Discovery News column by UTMB’s David Niesel and Norbert Herzog: The size of a particular part of the brain called the neocortex is directly related to an animal’s intelligence. It is also responsible for conscious thought and language. Additionally, the size of the neocortex is predictive of the degree that animals engage in deception. The more intelligent the animal, the more it exhibits deceptive behavior. When it comes to motivation, dread seems to be more powerful than reward, making it a strong impetus for cheating.