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The relatively high intelligence of octopuses may be due in part to high numbers of microRNAs that could let them generate more types of neurons
Life
17 March 2022
A day octopus photographed near Hawaii David Fleetham/Alamy
A study of the activity of RNA, a type of genetic material, in the bodies of octopuses suggests that the brains of cephalopods evolved greater complexity in the same way as vertebrate brains did – by using a lot more regulatory RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) to control gene activity.
“We show that the major RNA innovation of soft-bodied cephalopods is a massive expansion of the miRNA gene repertoire,” states a study yet to be formally peer reviewed, led by Nikolaus Rajewsky at the Max Delbrück …
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