1. The Secret of Three Hearts and Blue Blood
The octopus is often referred to as an alien creature of the ocean. Its physical structure is fundamentally different from that of standard animals on Earth. The most representative feature is the fact that it possesses three hearts. Why exactly did it require three hearts? A desperate survival strategy of the octopus is hidden within this setup.
An octopus has one systemic heart and two branchial hearts. The two branchial hearts exclusively handle the role of pumping blood to the gills. The blood, fully charged with oxygen at the gills, gathers back into the systemic heart. The systemic heart then powerfully pumps this oxygenated blood throughout the entire body. Are you curious why such a complex system was established? It is due to a fatal flaw in the blood of the octopus.
Human blood is red because hemoglobin, which contains iron, transports oxygen. In contrast, the blood of an octopus is blue. Octopuses transport oxygen using hemocyanin, which is based on copper instead of iron. However, this hemocyanin has a critical disadvantage. In cold oceans and oxygen-deficient environments, its oxygen transport efficiency drops drastically.
Ultimately, the octopus had to resolve this insufficient oxygen transport capacity through immense pumping action. It was a workload that a single heart could not possibly handle. Therefore, it evolved two additional hearts dedicated solely to the gills. Because it possessed highly inefficient blood, it remodeled its physical structure into a ultra-high-performance system.
However, there is a twist. When an octopus crawls inside a tank or along the ocean floor, these three hearts function perfectly. Yet, the moment it begins to swim rapidly for survival, the systemic heart suddenly stops completely. Isn't it strange that the main heart, which sends blood to the entire body, stops? This happens because the intense pressure generated when swimming compresses the heart.
Consequently, the octopus extremely dislikes long-distance swimming. Even a short swim leaves it short of breath and easily exhausted. Although it possesses three hearts, it is paradoxically a tragic creature that cannot run for long. The fierce pumping of the octopus to circulate its blue blood continues deep within the ocean at this very moment.
2. The Reason Brains Are Scattered Throughout the Body
Octopuses are intelligent. They navigate mazes, use tools, and even twist open bottle caps. How could this small invertebrate achieve such a high level of intelligence? The secret does not reside solely inside its head. The true brain of an octopus is spread throughout its entire body.
An octopus possesses approximately 500 million neurons, which is comparable to the number of neurons in a dog. However, the astonishing fact is the distribution method of these neurons. Out of all the neurons, only 30 percent exist in the central brain located in the head. Where on earth did the remaining 70 percent of neurons go? They are scattered across its eight arms.
In essence, each arm of an octopus possesses its own independent mini-brain. Because of this, the arms of an octopus think and move on their own without receiving commands from the central brain. This means independent judgment is possible. The arms decide by themselves to taste, smell, and grab objects. There is no need for the head to issue commands like, Arm number one, move.
Why did it evolve into such a unique system? Controlling eight arms is excessively complex for a boneless octopus. If a single central brain tried to control every single movement of those countless suckers and muscles, the brain might explode from overload. Therefore, the octopus chose a bold decentralized processing method. It maximized efficiency by delegating authority to each arm.
This is why, even if an arm of an octopus is severed, that arm continues to move for a while as if it were alive. It attempts to explore and grab nearby prey. This phenomenon occurs because the neural centers remain functional within the arm itself. A structure where nine brains coexist in a single body is a bizarre survival method demonstrated exclusively by the octopus family on Earth.
3. The Magic of Self-Altering Genes
Most living organisms on Earth, including humans, cannot change their inherent genetic blueprint. They copy DNA information to make RNA, and through this, generate proteins. This flow is an absolute law of life science. However, the octopus lightly ignores this ironclad rule, because it possesses the incredible ability to modify its own genetic information in real time. How is such a thing possible?
The secret lies precisely in RNA editing technology. The octopus does not alter the DNA itself. Instead, it directly modifies the RNA, which is the intermediate stage. It is essentially rewriting the copies while leaving the original genetic blueprint untouched. Why engage in such a cumbersome process? It is solely to survive rapid environmental changes.
The octopus is an ectothermic animal. When the surrounding ocean temperature drops, its body temperature falls along with it. Generally, when the temperature drops, the nervous systems of animals freeze and become paralyzed because proteins fail to function properly. However, the octopus is different. The moment the ocean turns cold, it immediately begins editing its RNA. It snaps its fingers and creates customized proteins that function perfectly even in freezing environments.
In fact, scientists investigated octopuses living in Antarctica and those living in tropical regions. As a result, a surprising fact was revealed. The Antarctic octopus was heavily modifying and using the RNA that controls its neural proteins. It endured the cold by remodeling itself at the cellular level. This is a shocking discovery that warrants rewriting life science textbooks.
The true reason this ability is amazing lies in its speed. For a typical organism to adapt to an environment, tens of thousands of years of evolution and mutation are required. However, the octopus remodels its body to match the environment in just a few hours. It performs ultra-fast evolution by itself every single day.
Yet, this cheat-like ability comes with a price. Because it alters its RNA so frequently, the evolutionary speed of its original DNA has actually slowed down. This might be the reason its appearance has not changed significantly for hundreds of millions of years. The magic of the octopus, which hacks its own genes, is a true mystery of evolution that transcends the limits of life.
4. Consciousness Shown by the Shape-Shifting Genius of the Sea
The octopus is not an animal that moves solely by survival instinct. It possesses a high-level consciousness that perfectly perceives and copes with its surrounding environment. The most astonishing evidence of this is its camouflage, which allows it to blend into its surroundings. An octopus freely controls millions of chromatophores located in its skin cells. The time it takes to change its skin color is a mere 0.2 seconds.
It does not simply change colors. It even mimics the texture of rocks or corals. By contracting its muscles, it creates bumps on its skin and reproduces rough surfaces. It essentially analyzes visual information with its brain and then implements perfect 3D graphics with the cells of its entire body. Is this a simple reflex action? Scientists are certain that the octopus clearly perceives its surroundings and intentionally chooses to transform.
Its advanced cognitive abilities shine even brighter in its use of tools. An octopus finds discarded coconut shells or seashells on the ocean floor and carries them along by gripping them with its arms. When a predator appears, it slips inside the shell and closes the door. When no shells are available, it collects nearby pebbles to construct a fortress.
Anticipating future dangers and collecting tools for storage is not an activity just anyone can do. It is a domain possible only for highly intelligent organisms capable of understanding complex causal relationships and formulating plans. Octopuses in aquariums can even distinguish the faces of keepers. They remember and react differently to people who treat them well versus those who mistreat them. There is even a famous anecdote where an octopus secretly escaped its tank at night, ate the fish in the adjacent tank, and returned while acting completely innocent.
The octopus is a boneless mollusk. It is one of the creatures furthest removed from humans on the evolutionary tree. Nevertheless, it independently evolved high-level cognitive abilities and consciousness similar to humans. Perhaps the octopus is the closest alien intelligence we can encounter right here on Earth.
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