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Discover octopuses' 9 brains

⏱️ 8-12 minutes 📊 Beginner 🔬 Science

About This Idea

Learn about one of nature's most extraordinary cognitive systems: octopuses have a central brain plus one in each of their eight arms, allowing independent problem-solving. This quick dive into marine biology reveals an alien intelligence right here on Earth.

#marine-biology#intelligence#octopus#neuroscience#evolution

📑 Table of Contents

How to Get Started

STEP 1
THE BASIC FACTS (3 minutes)
  1. Octopuses have one central brain in their head
  2. PLUS one mini-brain (ganglion) in each of their eight arms
  3. That's 9 total brains working together!
  4. Each arm has about 40 million neurons (humans have 86 billion total)
  5. Arms contain 2/3 of the octopus's total neurons
STEP 2
WHAT THIS MEANS (4 minutes)
  1. Each arm can:
  2. - Taste what it touches (chemoreceptors on suckers)
  3. - Feel textures and shapes independently
  4. - Solve problems without asking the central brain
  5. - Reach and grasp while the central brain focuses elsewhere
  6. Example: Central brain spots food, one arm investigates while others keep hiding
  7. Cut-off octopus arm continues moving and reacting for hours!
  8. Like having 8 semi-autonomous assistants
STEP 3
INCREDIBLE ABILITIES (3 minutes)
  1. Open childproof caps and jars
  2. Use tools (carry coconut shells as armor)
  3. Mimic other sea creatures
  4. Squeeze through tiny holes (only hard part is beak)
  5. Change color and texture in milliseconds
  6. Recognize individual humans and remember faces
  7. Each species seems to have different personality types
STEP 4
BIGGER QUESTIONS (2 minutes)
  1. Octopus intelligence evolved completely separately from vertebrates
  2. Their last common ancestor with us was a simple flatworm 600M years ago
  3. Proves intelligence can evolve along totally different paths
  4. Their intelligence is truly 'alien' - distributed, not centralized
  5. What would YOU do with 9 brains?
  6. How would it feel to think with your hands?

What You'll Need

Recommended Resources

📚 Tutorials & Learning

  • Octopus Intelligence 🔗
    Nature documentary
  • Other Minds Book 🔗
    Philosophy of octopus consciousness

👥 Communities

  • r/marinebiology 🔗
    Marine life discussion
  • r/Awwducational 🔗
    Cute educational animal facts

Progress Milestones

Track your progress with these key achievements:

1
5 minutes
Understand 9-brain system
2
10 minutes
Grasp independent arm intelligence
3
12 minutes
Contemplate alien intelligence

Common Challenges & Solutions

Every beginner faces obstacles. Here's how to overcome them:

⚠️ Hard to imagine distributed intelligence
Solution: Think of it like a company: CEO (central brain) sets direction, but departments (arms) handle details independently. Or like playing piano - your fingers work semi-independently.

Share Your Progress

Celebrate your achievements and inspire others:

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