cephalopod | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/cephalopod/RSS feed for cephalopodenWed, 19 Aug 2026 16:00:10 +0000Why Are Some Octopuses So Smart? The Answer Might Lie in a Never-Before-Seen Mutation That Helps Them Accurately Build Proteinshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-some-octopuses-so-smart-the-answer-might-lie-in-a-never-before-seen-mutation-that-helps-them-accurately-build-proteins-180989319/Scientists discovered a strange feature in certain octopuses’ ribosomal RNA, molecules that create a 3D scaffold for cellular protein factories. It was found only in shallow-water creatures that have expanded nervous systems and can do complex behaviorsWed, 19 Aug 2026 16:00:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-some-octopuses-so-smart-the-answer-might-lie-in-a-never-before-seen-mutation-that-helps-them-accurately-build-proteins-180989319/'Cute Little Guy': Scientists Discover a Tiny Blue Species of Octopus by the Galápagos Islandshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cute-little-guy-scientists-discover-a-tiny-blue-species-of-octopus-by-the-galapagos-islands-180988919/The palm-size creature was spotted and collected during a research expedition more than a decade ago, but scientists have just identified it as a previously undescribed speciesTue, 09 Jun 2026 18:33:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cute-little-guy-scientists-discover-a-tiny-blue-species-of-octopus-by-the-galapagos-islands-180988919/This Fossil Held the World Record for the Earliest Known Octopus. Turns Out, It's Not an Octopus After Allhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-fossil-held-the-world-record-for-the-earliest-known-octopus-turns-out-its-not-an-octopus-after-all-180988511/New research suggests the 300-million-year-old specimen is actually a relative of the nautilusWed, 08 Apr 2026 21:07:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-fossil-held-the-world-record-for-the-earliest-known-octopus-turns-out-its-not-an-octopus-after-all-180988511/Scientists Map the Ways Octopuses Use Their Complex Arms, Revealing Preferences for Certain Taskshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-map-the-ways-octopuses-use-their-complex-arms-revealing-preferences-for-certain-tasks-180987333/The cephalopods appear to favor using their front arms, according to a new study, though their back arms help with locomotionMon, 15 Sep 2025 18:12:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-map-the-ways-octopuses-use-their-complex-arms-revealing-preferences-for-certain-tasks-180987333/Octopuses Fall for the Rubber Hand Illusion, Just Like Humans, Pointing to a Sense of Body Ownershiphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/octopuses-fall-for-the-rubber-hand-illusion-just-like-humans-pointing-to-a-sense-of-body-ownership-180987024/The trick that plays with awareness of one’s own limb appeared to fool all six of the cephalopods tested in a series of experimentsWed, 23 Jul 2025 15:35:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/octopuses-fall-for-the-rubber-hand-illusion-just-like-humans-pointing-to-a-sense-of-body-ownership-180987024/Ten Stunning Nature Photos From the BigPicture 2025https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-stunning-nature-photos-from-the-big-picture-2025-180986835/From the beautiful to the bizarre, this annual photographic showcase shines a light on some of our planet’s most breathtaking species and placesFri, 27 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-stunning-nature-photos-from-the-big-picture-2025-180986835/Scientists Had Never Seen This Mysterious Squid Alive in the Wild—Until Now. See the First Footage of the Elusive Creaturehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-had-never-seen-this-mysterious-squid-alive-in-the-wild-until-now-see-the-first-footage-of-the-elusive-creature-180986779/A three-foot-long Antarctic gonate squid was spotted swimming 7,000 feet below the surface of the Southern OceanWed, 11 Jun 2025 20:51:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-had-never-seen-this-mysterious-squid-alive-in-the-wild-until-now-see-the-first-footage-of-the-elusive-creature-180986779/A New, Shape-Shifting 'Flapjack' Octopus Has Been Discovered in the Deep Sea Off the Coast of Australiahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-shape-shifting-dumbo-octopus-has-been-discovered-in-the-deep-sea-off-the-coast-of-australia-180986668/The tiny Carnarvon flapjack octopus is the latest of ten species described by Australian scientists after a 2022 research tripThu, 22 May 2025 15:03:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-shape-shifting-dumbo-octopus-has-been-discovered-in-the-deep-sea-off-the-coast-of-australia-180986668/In Order to Unravel the Many Mysteries of Squids, Scientists Dive Into Their Mating Frenzieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-order-to-unravel-the-many-mysteries-of-squids-scientists-dive-into-their-mating-frenzies-180986551/Marine biologists hope to find out more about a creature that is vital to a healthy ecosystem and the state’s fisheryWed, 07 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-order-to-unravel-the-many-mysteries-of-squids-scientists-dive-into-their-mating-frenzies-180986551/As Norway Considers Deep-Sea Mining, a Rich History of Ocean Conservation Decisions May Inform How the Country Actshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/as-norway-considers-deep-sea-mining-a-rich-history-of-ocean-conservation-decisions-may-inform-how-the-country-acts-180986412/In the past, scientists, industry and government have worked together in surprising, tense and fruitful waysMon, 21 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/as-norway-considers-deep-sea-mining-a-rich-history-of-ocean-conservation-decisions-may-inform-how-the-country-acts-180986412/