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Octopus arms have segmented nervous systems to power extraordinary movements

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The large nerve cord running down each octopus arm is separated into segments, giving it precise control over movements and creating a spatial map of its suckers. Originally published by By Matt Wood, Assistant Director of Communications, Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago on January 15, 2025 Octopus bimaculoides. Credit: Cassady Olson 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. "If you're going to have a nervous system that's controlling such dynamic movement, that's a good way to set it up," said Clifton Ragsdale, Ph.D., Professor of Neurobiology at UChicago and seni...
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New fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous systems

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Groundbreaking research uncovers the origins of the ventral nerve cord in early moulting animals Originally published by by Queen Mary, University of London , on:13 January 2025 Tubular incomplete specimens of Eopriapulites sphinx from the early Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation, showing their ventral nerve cord. Credit: Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adr0896 An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord , a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan animals , a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Their findings , published in Science Advances , provide valuable insights into the origins of these structures in the basal Cambrian period .  The research team, comprising Dr Deng Wang (Northwest University), Dr Jean Vannier (Université de Lyon), Dr Chema Martin-Durán (Queen Mary University of London), and Dr María Herranz (Rey ...
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