Search Results for: Octopus

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238 results
  1. A photo of a pale yellow octopus taken from below looking up at the animal on a black background.
    Animals

    Octopus, squid and cuttlefish arms evolved to ‘taste’ different compounds

    Octopus suckers can taste a variety of greasy, sticky molecules, while squid and cuttlefish suckers detect bitter compounds.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. image of an octopus
    Animals

    Octopuses and squid are masters of RNA editing while leaving DNA intact

    Modifications to RNA could explain the intelligence and flexibility of shell-less cephalopods.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. A photo of a big blue octopus hovering in the water with several of its tentacles curled up around its body.
    Animals

    Scientists have now recorded brain waves from freely moving octopuses

    The data reveal some unexpected patterns, though it’s too early to know how octopus brains control the animals’ behavior, a new study finds.

    By Nora Bradford
  4. photo of someone's hand wearing a wetsuit glove with octopus suckers
    Tech

    This octopus-inspired glove helps humans grip slippery objects

    The human hand, for all its deftness, is not great at grasping slippery stuff. A new glove aims to change that.

    By Maria Temming
  5. A purple octopus as it sits on the ocean floor.
    Science & Society

    Sea life offers a lens for self-exploration in ‘How Far the Light Reaches’

    In a collection of essays profiling 10 marine animals, author Sabrina Imbler mixes in stories of their own family, self-discovery, sexuality and healing.

    By Aina Abell

  6. The animal kingdom never ceases to amaze

    Editor in chief Nancy Shute revels in the wonder of animals, from psychedelic toads to extinct pterosaurs.

    By Nancy Shute
  7. underwater photo of an octopus garden on the sea floor
    Oceans

    Some deep-sea octopuses aren’t the long-haul moms scientists thought they were

    Off California’s coast, some octopuses lay eggs in the warmer water of geothermal springs in the “Octopus Garden,” speeding up their development.

    By Katherine Kornei
  8. a 3-D reconstruction of Saccorhytus coronarius, which looks like a purple spiky cylinder with a large mouth
    Paleontology

    This bizarre ancient critter has been kicked out of a group that includes humans

    A wee sea creature without an anus was thought to be the oldest deuterostome. New imaging showing it had spines led to its reclassification.

    By Anna Gibbs
  9. photo of two huskies who appear to be smiling
    Animals

    How do we know what emotions animals feel?

    Animal welfare researchers are studying the feelings and subjective experiences of horses, octopuses and more.

    By Alla Katsnelson
  10. a western banded gecko perched on a branch
    Animals

    How a western banded gecko eats a scorpion

    New high-speed video details how usually mild-mannered geckos shake and incapacitate their venomous prey.

    By Helen Thompson
  11. cephalopod fossil
    Paleontology

    Scientists are arguing over the identity of a fossilized 10-armed creature

    An ancient cephalopod fossil may be the oldest ancestor of octopuses, but the interpretation hinges on the identification of one feature.

    By Anna Gibbs
  12. illustration of Vampyronassa rhodanica in pink with a blue background
    Paleontology

    Vampire squid are gentle blobs. But this ancestor was a fierce hunter

    New fossil analyses of 164-million-year-old ancestors of today’s vampire squid show the ancient cephalopods had muscular bodies and powerful suckers.

    By Carolyn Gramling