Friday 25 November 2022 08:02 PM Humans and octopuses descended from SAME animal that lived 518 million years ago trends now

Octopuses and humans descended from the same primitive worm-like animal that lived 518 million years ago, and this could be why the eight-limbed creatures are highly intelligent.

The creature, known as Facivermis yunnanicus, is the earliest known example of animals evolving to lose body parts it no longer needed and was minimally intelligent.

A new study led by Max Delbruck Centre, Berlin found octopuses' brains are similar to humans because the marine animal has a variety of gene regulators called microRNAs (miRNAs) in their neural tissue comparable to the number in vertebrates.

The findings suggest miRNAs, a type of RNA gene, play a fundamental role in developing complex brains. 

And this is 'what connects us to the octopus,' co-author Professor Nikolaus Rajewsky said in a statement to SWS.

Octopuses are renowned for being clever. They can use tools, carry coconut shells for shelter, stack rocks to protect their dens and use jellyfish tentacles for defense, SWNS reports.

Scientists have long studied the intelligence of octopuses, watching them learn to solve puzzles and open screw-top jars. 

Recently they were even filmed throwing rocks and shells at each other.

Octopuses belong to a group known as cephalopods - which also include squid and cuttlefish.

The study analyzed 18 different tissue samples from dead octopuses and identified 42 novel miRNA families - mainly in the brain.

The genes were conserved during cephalopod evolution - being of functional benefit to the animals.

'There was indeed a lot of RNA editing going on, but not in areas that we believe to be of interest,' said Rajewsky.