Genes linked to human intelligence.. Scientists discover the secret of octopus intelligence

The octopus baffled scientists, and some described it as an alien being, because it does not resemble any animal on our planet, especially when one looks at its eight arms, the size of its large brain, its intelligence, and its amazing ability to solve problems, which distinguishes it from the rest of the invertebrate animals.

For decades, researchers have studied how some animals evolved to become intelligent. When it comes to cephalopods, a group that includes octopuses and squids, although they have the traits of creativity, they lack some of the hallmarks of intelligence that other animal species exhibit.

According to a recent study published in BMC Biology, the genetic sequencing of two species of octopus revealed that they have genomes filled with a set of "jumping genes", which constitute about 45% of the human genome, to which the intelligence of the octopus is attributed.

"Jumping genes" make up about 45% of the human genome, and are attributed to the intelligence of the octopus (Shutterstock)

jumping genes

The clues of intelligence discovered by scientists, called "transposons", are short sequences of DNA that have the ability to copy and paste or cut and paste themselves at different locations within the genome (the entire content genomes of an organism), and it has been linked to the evolution of the genomes in several types of organisms.

Bacteria 'jump genes' usually carry an extra gene for non-transmission functions, often for antibiotic resistance, and these genes can be transferred and inserted into chromosomes, and part of the DNA in the genome can be mutated or altered during translocation.

The "jumping genes" are an example of the moving genetic elements that Barbara McClintock discovered at the beginning of her scientific career, for which she was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize.

Most 'jumping genes' in both humans and octopuses are silent (Shutterstock)

Active ingredient

The study's authors report that most "jumping genes" in both humans and octopuses are silenced, either shut down by mutations or prevented from reproducing by cellular defenses.

But one type of "jump gene" in humans, known as the Long interspersed nuclear element (LINE) for short, is families (families) with common DNA elements that are scattered in loci numerous within the genome.

The human genome contains more than 500,000 of this element.

Long-diffusing nuclear elements are still active, and evidence from previous studies indicates that jumping lane genes are tightly regulated by the brain and are important for learning and memory formation in the hippocampus.

When scientists took a closer look at the "jumping genes" in octopuses that can copy and paste, Graziano Fiorito, a biologist at the Anton Dorn Zoological Station (SZAD) in Naples, Italy, and a co-author of the study told Live Science. Freely around the genome, they discovered that "jumping genes" from the "Line" family were the active component of the octopus's head lobe, an octopus brain section important for learning and functionally similar to the human hippocampus.

Researchers measured octopus RNA transcripts and translated it into the Shutterstock protein.

Similarity at the genetic level

In the new study, the researchers measured octopus RNA transcripts and translated it into a protein, and discovered important activity in brain regions related to behavioral plasticity, and how the organisms change their behavior in response to different stimuli.

"We were very pleased because this is some kind of proof," said study co-author Giovanna Ponti, a researcher in the Department of Marine Biology and Evolution at Anton Dorn Zoological Station.

Fiorito added that although octopuses are not closely related to animals with a backbone, they nonetheless exhibit behavioral and neurological flexibility similar to that of vertebrates.

"These animals, like mammals, have the ability to constantly adapt and solve problems," he said, and this evidence suggests that the similarity may arise at the genetic level.

These findings not only link jumping genes to octopus intelligence, but also suggest that "jumping genes" from the "Line family" do more than just jump and may have a role in cognitive processing, the authors explain in a press release published on June 22. last June.

According to the study, since jumping genes are shared between humans and octopuses, they may be candidates for future research on intelligence and how it evolves and varies among individuals within a single species.