Octopuses have large and complex brains despite lacking bones or a spine. Their brain is spread out in a network of ganglia throughout their arms and central body, with each arm containing neurons that allow it to think and move independently. This distributed intelligence and ability of each arm to problem solve on its own gives octopuses amazing flexibility to solve problems and adapt to new environments. Their radically different nervous system from vertebrates has inspired new research in soft robotics and helps scientists understand how intelligence can evolve along divergent paths.

1. You won’t believe what the Octopuses'
brain is capable of
10 min read time

3. After all,
they don't
have

4. spines

5. We can all
Agree 0n!
0r even a

9. But what
they do
have

11. learn
through observation

13. some
other
animals
we know
Just like

14. And what
makes octopus
intelligence
S0 AMAZING

15. Is that, it comes
from a biological
structure completely
different from ours

16. The
or so species
of octopuses are
M0LLUSKS

17. belonging to the order

18. Greek for
Head
feet

19. impressively
large
brains
These heads
contain

20. With a brain to body ratio
similar to that of
other intelligent animals

22. and a
complex
nervous
system

23. with about
as many
neurons as
that of a

24. Dog.

26. These
500 million
neurons are spread out
in a network of
interconnected ganglia

30. The other
are in
the
tentacles

31. which for
humans

32. would be like
our arms

33. Having
minds of
their own

34. This is where
things get
even more
interesting

35. like us have a
rigid skeleton
to support
our bodies
Vertebrates

36. With
joints

37. that allow
us to move

38. movements
are allowed

39. You
can't

40. or bend
your
forearm
in the
middle

41. Cephalopods,
on the other
hand

42. have N0 bones at all,

43. So shaping their tentacles into any one of
the virtually limitless number of possible
arrangements

44. Consider
a simple
task,

45. like
grabbing
and eating
an apple.

46. The human
brain contains
a neurological
map of our
body.

48. When you see
the apple, your
brain's motor
centre
activates the
appropriate
muscles,

49. allowing you to
reach out with
your arm,
grab it with
your hand,
bend your elbow
joint and bring
it to your
mouth.

50. For an octopus,
the process is quite different.

51. Rather than a
body map,

52. the cephalopod brain
has a behaviour library

53. So when an
octopus
sees food,

54. but rather a behavioural response to grab.

55. As the signal
travels through
the network, the arm neurons
pick up the
message

56. and jump into
action to
command the
movement.
And as soon as
the arm
touches the
food,

57. a muscle
activation
wave travels
all the way
through the
arm to its
base,

58. while the arm
sends back
another wave
from the base
to the tip.

59. letting it know
to BEND at
that spot.
The signals
meet halfway
between the
food and the
base of the
arm,

60. What all this
means is that!

61. each of an
octopus's eight
arms can
essentially think
for itself.

62. This gives it
amazing flexibility

64. when facing a new
situation or problem,

65. whether its
opening a bottle
to reach for food

66. escaping
through a
maze

67. moving around
in a new
environment

68. changing
the
texture

69. and the colour
of its skin, to
blend into the
scenery

71. T0 SCARE
AWAY
ENEMIES.

72. Cephalopods
may have
evolved complex
brains long
before our
vertebrate
relatives.

73. And octopus
intelligence

74. isn't just useful for octopuses.

75. Their radically
different
nervous system

76. And
autonomously
thinking
appendages

77. have
inspired

78. new research
in developing
flexible robots

79. made of
soft
materials

80. And
studying

81. how
intelligence can
arise along

82. such a divergent
evolutionary path

83. Can help us understand
more about

84. Intelligence and
Consciousness

85. Who knows what
other forms of
intelligent life
are possible,

86. or how they
process the
world around
them.

87. That’s mother earth
for you.