Cuttlefish

Cephalopods like octopuses, squids and cuttlefish are highly intelligent animals with complex nervous systems. In Science Advances, a team led by Nikolaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbrück Center has now shown that their evolution is linked to a dramatic expansion of their microRNA repertoire.

Cephalopods—which include octopus, squid, and their cuttlefish cousins—are capable of some truly charismatic behaviors. They can quickly process information to transform shape, color, and even texture, blending in with their surroundings. They can also communicate, show signs of spatial learning, and use tools to solve problems. They're so smart, they can even get bored.

A study has found that Eurasian jays can pass a version of the 'marshmallow test'—and those with the greatest self-control also score the highest on intelligence tests.

When Kelsi Rutledge came to UCLA to pursue graduate studies, she didn't expect to land a side hustle in Hollywood. But her discovery of a new fish species attracted the attention of director Jordan Peele, and she enthusiastically accepted his invitation to help create a scientifically plausible alien for his latest movie, "Nope."

A new study published in Current Biology suggests that the European cuttlefish (sepia officinalis) may combine, as necessary, two distinct neural systems that process specific visual features from its local environment and visual cues relating to its overall background environment to create the body patterns it uses to camouflage itself on the sea floor. This is in contrast to previous research suggesting that the cognitive (brain) processes involved are much simpler, in that the cuttlefish […]