Is it octopuses or octopi? Well, technically, you can use either term. The cool name options aren’t the only amazing things about these animals, though, and in exciting news, researchers have finally sequenced the octopus’ large genome. Scientists also worked to understand gene expression in a dozen different types of tissue from these interesting creatures. […]
Cephalopods (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish) have very large, powerful eyes and when light enters their eye, it comes in contact with a molecule called opsins that starts a reaction and send signals from the eye to the brain. A new research project is showing that cephalopods have these same molecules on their skin! Scientists discovered […]
How are you at multitasking? While it may come easy to some, I certainly know people who aren’t the brightest crayons in the box, if you know what I mean- carrying on an intelligent conversation while doing ANYTHING else just isn’t going to happen. So it makes you wonder- how does an octopus simultaneously operate […]
How does an octopus survive in the below-freezing waters of the Antarctic? It seems like these animals shouldn’t be able to survive in frigid temperatures, but new research shows that they have a special protein in their blood that helps them survive. The protein that makes octopus blood blue is called haemocyanin, and it actually […]
Octopuses are pretty awesome. Not only can they camouflage themselves by changing colors and imitating other animals to blend into their surroundings, but they can teach researchers about the brain’s ability to store and recall memories. Studying the octopus has led to new understanding of linguistics (ever wonder what an octopus and your tongue have […]
The bartender says…..why no skeletal system? The National Science Foundation or NSF research is funding a new program called Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) that “is intended to encourage investigators to submit bold, exceptional proposals.” Bold and exceptional to say the least! Marine biologists and linguists have come together to study a common […]