Whales are cetaceans and they diverged from land mammals between 50 to 60 million years ago. They adapted fully to a water habitat and learned echolocation, with remarkaable hearing and communication abilities, as well as having developed a complex social organization. The brain structure of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) was studied by Patrick Hof at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY, and Estel Van Der Gucht at the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology. They report that the humpback whale has a kind of brain cell that is seen only in humans, the great apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins, making whales to be more intelligent than previously thought. The brain cell, called a spindle neuron, was found in the cortex in areas where it is found in humans and the great apes. They state that this may be a case of parallel evolution. This finding may help explain some behavioral patterns in whales, especially intricate communication skills.