An interesting article that reports experiments that demonstrate the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in consciousness: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191223122837.htm. The discussion involves using a drug that mimics the effects of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine which dominates in the autonomic nervous system to cause wakefulness in the medial prefrontal cortex. Here's a link to the original Journal article: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1910-19.2019

One commonly observed behavior of some chimpanzees is that they like to throw rocks at trees--especially resonant trees that produce a deep, full sound. But why? New research questions whether it is a ritual at all, and especially whether it is indicative of emerging spirituality: https://www.newsweek.com/chimp-throw-rocks-trees-communication-1477637 . The original journal article may be found here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0747 (access required)

December 11, 2019 edition of the Journal Nature provides evidence and discussion of an even earlier cave painting dated 43.9 ka in Indonesia than the ones discussed in the next chapter: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1806-y . Here is the NPR story that reported the finding: https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/786760790/44-000-year-old-indonesian-cave-painting-is-rewriting-the-history-of-art , continuing to blur the evidence related to the simultaneous development of visual cave art and musical instruments.