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 at the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. “The…
