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Evolution Apr 23, 2026

Giant octopuses may have ruled the oceans 100 million years ago

Today's octopuses are intelligent, remarkably flexible animals that lurk in reefs, hide in crevices, or drift through the deep sea. But new research suggests that their earliest relatives may have played a far more predatory ...

Plants & Animals Apr 20, 2026

Why so many mollusks sound Greek—their naming evolves at a snail's pace

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said Juliet Capulet in William Shakespeare's famous play. And the same is presumably true for mollusks, albeit with different odors. When you think about the scientific names ...

Other Apr 11, 2026

Saturday Citations: Octopus behavior; children's nightmares; the fast effects of meditation

Happy Saturday! This week, researchers reported on the familiar phenomenon of speeding away from a slower-driving car only to have it catch up at the next traffic light—they've named it Voorhees law, after the well-known ...

Plants & Animals Apr 8, 2026

The lengths male octopuses go to protect the arm they need to mate

For mating male octopuses, one limb is more important than all others. That is the third right arm or hectocotylus, which is used to transfer sperm to the female because the penis cannot do it directly. Losing the limb can ...

Evolution Apr 7, 2026

'Oldest octopus' fossil is no octopus at all, scans reveal

A famous 300-million-year-old fossil that was thought to be the world's oldest octopus—even featuring in the Guinness Book of Records—has turned out to be something else altogether. In what amounts to a case of mistaken identity, ...

Evolution Apr 4, 2026

Our modern vision evolved from an ancient one‑eyed worm creature

It's easy to take our eyes for granted. But our recent research shows they took an incredible evolutionary journey to reach their current familiar form.

Plants & Animals Apr 2, 2026

How the octopus uses its 'taste by touch' sensory system to feel out potential mates

A new study by Harvard biologists reveals how octopuses feel their way to potential mates with a "taste by touch" sensory system and can even couple at arm's length without actually seeing each other. In a study featured ...

Plants & Animals Feb 24, 2026

Marine plastic pollution alters octopus predator-prey encounters, study shows

More than 350,000 chemicals are used worldwide, and many find their way into the ocean through plastic pollution. As plastics accumulate in coastal waters, they continuously leach bioactive additives that can interfere with ...

Ecology Feb 18, 2026

Identifying priority Southern Ocean conservation hotspots

New research shows that maintaining and adopting proposed marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean could almost double the protection of genetic hotspots from 28% to about 54%. These actions would stave off an ...

Plants & Animals Jan 31, 2026

Octopus numbers exploded around the UK's south-west coast in 2025. A new report explores this rare phenomenon

Cold spray whipped off the ropes as a diesel engine throbbed in the background. One by one, empty shellfish pots came over the side of the fishing boat, occasionally containing the remnants of crab and lobster claws and carapaces. ...

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