Octopuses may have gained some of their exceptional intelligence from the same evolutionary process that humans went through, a new study suggests.
The process involved a sudden explosion of microRNAs (miRNAs) — small, noncoding molecules that control how genes are expressed. This increase may have helped the brains of octopuses and humans to develop new types of nerve cells, or neurons, which were stitched together into more complex neural networks.
Octopuses and their close cephalopod relatives, such as squid and cuttlefish, have been a subject of fascination among biologists ever since the third century A.D., when Roman author and naturalist, Claidius Aelianus, noted their “plainly seen” characteristics of “mischief and craft.” Octopuses possess remarkable memories; excel at camouflage; are curious about their surroundings; have been observed using tools to solve problems; and, from the ripples of colors that flash across their skin as they sleep, are even thought to dream.
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