US EditionOctopus Arms Operate with Independent, Segmented Nervous Systems
- A new study published in Nature Communications reveals that octopus arms have segmented nervous systems, allowing for precise control and extraordinary movements.
- The axial nervous cord in each arm provides autonomy, enabling octopuses to perform multiple tasks simultaneously with their arms.
- Cassady Olson, the study's first author, explains that the segmented structure is crucial for controlling arm movements, similar to a spinal cord.
- The research highlights potential applications in soft robot design, offering insights into octopus biology and its unique nervous system.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Why every arm of an octopus moves with a mind of its own
There are many remarkable things about octopuses—they’re famously intelligent, they have three hearts, their eyeballs work like prisms, they can change color at will, and they can “see” light with their skin. One of the most striking things about these creatures, however, is the fact that each of their eight arms almost seems to have a mind of its own, allowing an octopus to multitask in a manner that humans can only dream about. At the heart of…
Octopus Arms Are Controlled by a Nervous System Like No Other
Octopuses tend to keep secrets, but we've just learnt how they achieve their extraordinary dexterity.The fine control these almost-alien animals have over each of their eight arms is at least partially down to the segmentation of the nervous system circuitry that governs it. This discovery by researchers at the University of Chicago helps us understand the strange way cephalopods navigate the world, and may even inform future designs for soft ro…
Octopus arms have segmented nervous systems to power extraordinary movements
Octopus arms move with incredible dexterity, bending, twisting, and curling with nearly infinite degrees of freedom. New research from the University of Chicago revealed that the nervous system circuitry that controls arm movement in octopuses is segmented, giving these extraordinary creatures precise control across all eight arms and hundreds of suckers to explore their environment, grasp objects, and capture prey.
Study Finds That an Octopus' Incredible Eight Arm Dexterity Comes From a Segmented Nervous System
A fascinating study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Chicago found that the eight prehensile arms of an octopus are segmented from the rest of the cephalopod‘s body, allowing them to have great dexterity in movement and precise control over all eight arms when capturing prey. The researchers looked at the axial nerve cord of the California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) and found neuronal cell bodies packed into …
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