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Scientists may have found a clue to why octopuses are so smart
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- A study from the University of Vienna reveals that the unique folding and rearrangement of octopus DNA may contribute to their advanced intelligence and complex traits.
- Researchers found that large sections of DNA in cephalopods like octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish were shuffled and reassembled in their common ancestor, creating new regulatory connections called "regulatory entanglement."
- The octopus genome showed more extensive DNA rearrangement than squid and cuttlefish, resulting in increased interactions between distant DNA regions linked to nervous system development.
- Experimental deletion of a DNA segment in a bobtail squid relative caused developmental delays and changes in gene activity far from the deletion site, indicating that genome folding actively influences gene regulation.
- These findings suggest that genome architecture is an active driver of evolution in cephalopods, potentially explaining the octopus's large brain and intelligence.
