We Share Smarts with Octopuses, and Now We Know Why

Scientists say that the abundance of microRNA types in our brains is a sign of our intelligence, one which we share with octopuses and other cephalopods.

By Sam Walters
Nov 29, 2022 6:00 PM
Octopus
(Credit: Nir Friedman)

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Octopuses are incredibly intelligent creatures, though their intelligence is dramatically different from our own. They benefit from a big, central brain in addition to an ancillary brain in each of their eight tentacles. The animals demonstrate strange problem-solving skills, moving through mazes and opening tough-to-split shells in ways we struggle to understand.


Read more: How Do Octopuses Experience the World?

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