In a study now published in iScience, researchers from the University of Vienna (Austria), National Institute of Technology - Wakayama College (NITW; Japan), and Shimane University (Japan) present the largest cephalopod genome sequenced to date. Their analyses show that the vampire squid has retained parts of an ancient, squid-like chromosomal architecture, and thus revealing that modern octopuses evolved from squid-like ancestors.

Four major turning points around age nine, 32, 66 and 83 create five broad eras of neural wiring over the average human lifespan. Typical adolescent brain development lasts until our early thirties on average, when the adult era of neural wiring finally emerges. 

Estimating the multigenerational effects of chiral pesticide metabolites is essential for fully understanding their ecological impacts. This study demonstrated that S-o,p'-DDD accumulated preferentially in adult zebrafish and transferred more efficiently to their offspring compared to the R-enantiomer, leading to pronounced developmental defects and endocrine disruption across both generations. Molecular docking against key thyroid-related proteins provided a mechanistic explanation for this stereospecific toxicity. These findings suggest that evaluating only racemic mixtures may underestimate real-world hazards.

White oval squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana sp. 2), known locally as shiro-ika, are medium-sized squids naturally distributed in the Indian and western Pacific oceans, flittering in and out of a wide range of different habitats – from shallow seagrass beds, over coral reefs, to depths of 100m along coastal environments. In such biodiverse zones, the squids encounter predators of all sizes and shapes, from seabirds flying overhead to sharks, tuna, and other cephalopods prowling under the sea.

Such a variety of threats calls for a large repertoire of survival strategies. Researchers from the Okinawan Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have previously discovered how shiro-ika change color when moving between different shades of substrate – and now, the same team has painted a full picture of how the cephalopod employs a sophisticated range of camouflaging strategies to adapt to different environments and threats. “The wide variety of visual strategies used by the squid is surprisingly complex, especially considering that squid have traditionally been regarded as spending most of their lives in the open water column,” explains former OIST Visiting Researcher Dr. Ryuta Nakajima, “This discovery suggests that squid have a deeper behavioral relationship with the ocean floor than previously thought.”