Octopus

In an effort to address the issue of nuclear waste management, a team from the University of Houston has developed molecular crystals that can effectively capture iodine, a common radioactive fission product. These crystals, which offer high iodine uptake capacity, could be a game-changer in maintaining the integrity of nuclear reactors and waste containment vessels, and they have the added benefit of being reusable.The potential applications could lead to a net-zero world.As global awareness regarding the environmental…

Structural biologists have captured images of the CALHM1 channel in human neurons, gaining insights into its function and structure. This research could help understand CALHM1’s role in Alzheimer’s disease and taste perception, providing a basis for potential drug development.Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have generated detailed images of a neuronal channel known as Calcium Homeostasis Modulator Protein 1 (CALHM1), which plays significant roles in various physiological processes, including taste perception…

Gideon Lichfield: I'm sure it will be if it isn't already. No, totally, I think we're gonna get a hydroponic organic psilocybin encased in artisanal, ethically sourced chocolate harvested from the Western-facing slopes of some mountain in Nicaragua, and it's gonna be very expensive. And somebody with a very snooty head, who's gonna be standing there at the shop explaining to you which kind of psilocybin you should be using—I have no question any of this will happen. It's basically inevitability.Lauren Goode: OK, and then…

As It Happens6:30Scientists discover rare, thriving octopus nursery — and maybe a new speciesBeth Orcutt will never forget the moment she witnessed a baby octopus hatch in the deepsea.The marine scientist was co-leading a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition to study the ocean's depths off Costa Rica using a remotely operated vehicle, when her team saw the little mollusk emerge.They weren't looking for baby octopuses. In fact, until that moment, scientists weren't sure if it was possible for an octopus embryo to survive in…

Scientists have found a new octopus nursery in seamounts off the coast of Costa Rica and confirmed a previously discovered one in the area is active, bringing the world's known octopus nurseries to a total of three.Incredible footage shows babies hatching, mothers protecting their young from predators, and even a potentially new octopus species.The 18 international scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Falkor research ship witnessed the breathtaking scenes via an underwater camera on a remotely operated vehicle…

Marine scientists appear to have found some more natural wonders of the ocean: not one, but two deep-sea octopus nurseries in the waters of Costa Rica. One of these nurseries was previously thought to be inhospitable for eggs to hatch in, while the other was undiscovered until now. The team of scientists also believe that the octopuses nursing there might be a novel species, and the area itself is teeming with other sea life.Octopuses Caught on Camera Throwing Shells at Each OtherOctopuses are generally considered to be…

Scientists have spent years trying to work out if octopuses, whose brains have some remarkable similarities to our own, have dreams. A recent study even purported that the eight-armed cephalopods can have physical reactions in their sleep, akin to being attacked by a predator, suggesting they experience nightmares.Now, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), in collaboration with the University of Washington (UW), have examined the brain activity and patterning behavior of a small,…

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 recent DNA analysis of the two geographically separated octopus populations, published earlier this year ahead of peer review, 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)…

Marvel's Japanese Twitter posted about a new manga "Dr. Octopus reincarnated as a Japanese junior high school girl" for Shonen Jump.Marvel's Japanese Twitter account tweeted out the following about a new manga project being published in Shōnen Jump. Translated, it reads "Dr. Octopus reincarnated as a Japanese junior high school girl. From June 20th Marvel x Jump + large-scale project "Spider-Man: Octopus Girl" serialization starts! Expect a new world presented by the tag of the popular work "Hiroaka" Gaiden "Vigilante".…

Scientists observed unusual behavior in an octopus that they said looked similar to it waking up from a nightmare.The cephalopod, named Costello, was filmed 24 hours a day in a laboratory at The Rockefeller University in New York over the course of a month.On four occasions, the animal awoke "abruptly" before engaging "in antipredator and predatory behaviors", changing color, and flailing his arms around erratically, researchers said in a paper published last week on the website bioRxiv.In two of the instances the…