Octopus

Obsession works like an addiction. You feed it and feed it, falling down rabbit holes, pursuing your prey with single-minded intensity. You chase the dragon, until you are indistinguishable from the beast itself and the rest of the world slowly becomes a blurry background. The new Netflix docuseries American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is about a great many things: a journalist who either committed suicide or was murdered; a government surveillance software program that the Department of Justice might have…

Research using genetic data from Turquet’s octopus suggests that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed during the Last Interglacial period due to modest temperature increases. This discovery highlights the WAIS’s vulnerability to even slight warming, posing significant risks under current climate change trajectories.Genetic studies of an Antarctic octopus reveal that the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) occurred in the Last Interglacial period, approximately 129,000 to 116,000 years ago, during a time when…

A scuba diver near Vancouver Island's Nanoose Bay caught a rare encounter between a seal and a Pacific octopus. The incredible showdown between the two resulted in the octopus losing a leg, and the seal winning a snack. A scuba diver near Vancouver Island's Nanoose Bay caught a rare encounter between a seal and a Pacific octopus. The incredible showdown between the two resulted in the octopus losing a leg, and the seal winning a snack. FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS Read original article here Denial of…

An Aspergillus mold under a microscope.Image: M-Production (Shutterstock)The global burden and death toll of fungi has substantially climbed over the past decade, new research finds. The study estimates that fungal infections help kill nearly 4 million people annually—almost double the amount estimated by similar research in 2012. Co-infections like HIV and tuberculosis, a lack of speedy and reliable diagnostic testing, and growing antifungal resistance are thought to be major contributors to these deaths. - Ed Cara Read…

Scientists found four new octopus species, unveiling new insights into deep-sea biodiversity and emphasizing the need for international collaboration in marine conservation. On Tuesday (January 16), the Schmidt Ocean Institute said that a team of scientists had made a groundbreaking discovery in the waters off Costa Rica.So far, only one of the new species of deep-sea octopus has been named, CBS News reported.Nevertheless, all four new species, found in a 100-square-mile-sized area near Costa Rica, are currently in the…

A dorado octopus hatchling.Photo: Schmidt Ocean InstituteA team of scientists working off the coast of Costa Rica have identified four previously unknown deep-sea octopus species in the vicinity of hydrothermal springs on the ocean floor. They also discovered two octopus nurseries affiliated with the springs, both of which belong to the newly christened dorado octopus. The researchers determined that the dorado octopus is a member of the deep-sea genus Muusoctopus.A petite octopus propels itself through the deep sea.Gif: …

January 16, 20244min readEnigmatic octopuses that have been newly discovered in the waters off Costa Rica add to a growing registry of deep-sea dwellersBy Ashley Balzer VigilA mother octopus broods her eggs near a small outcrop of rock unofficially called El Dorado Hill. When a female octopus broods (which can be a timespan of multiple years), she does not eat and dies around the same time her eggs hatch. Credit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute (CC BY-NC-SA)Last month a team of scientists visited an ethereal…

Inspired by the small but deadly blue-ringed octopus, researchers have created a novel technology that rapidly changes color and appearance under various kinds of light, enabling camouflaging and signaling. The tech has potential applications in fields like the military, medicine, and robotics.The greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) uses split-second muscle contractions to change the size and color of its titular iridescent skin patterns to camouflage itself from would-be predators and as a warning signal…

Ocean bays that pinch West Antarctica are home to two distinct populations of Turquet's octopus (Pareledone turqueti). The shared secrets of their ancestors do not bode well for the future health of our planet.A new DNA analysis of the two geographically separated octopus populations indicates they were once part of one big family.This direct historical connection suggests that around 125,000 years ago, the massive 2.2 million cubic kilometer (530,000 cubic mile) West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) that separates the two…

December 21, 20234min readAs the climate crisis continues, sooner or later the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet will collapse. An unassuming octopus just gave scientists an important clue about how quickly that might happenBy Meghan BartelsTurquet’s octopuses are found all around Antarctica crawling along the seafloor. Scientists who are trying to understand Antarctica’s past face a daunting challenge. Ice doesn’t fossilize, so there’s no direct evidence showing how far the southernmost continent’s glaciers stretched in…