Discover how researchers identified an octopus' ancient sex chromosomes and why their genetic history is such a mystery.
The octopus is a marvel of the sea. With their eight flexible, sucker-lined tentacles, their vast intelligence, and the ability to squeeze themselves into tight spaces, these cephalopods have long captured our wonder. While the octopus still holds many secrets, a new study helps answer the long-held question of how these creatures determine their sex.
“Cephalopods are already such interesting creatures, and there are so many things we’re still learning about them, especially in neuroscience,” said Gabby Coffing, a doctoral student at the University of Oregon working in the lab of biologist Andrew Kern, in aThe team was sequencing the DNA of a female California two-spot octopus when they noticed a chromosome containing only half the amount of genetic material, and it looked different compared to the male two-spot octopus DNA that had been...
To confirm the findings, the researchers looked at past octopus genomic data and noted that they weren’t clearly labeled as a male or female. However, they did find evidence of another half-chromosome in a different species of octopus. The same thing was found in squid genes, even though squids and octopuses diverged evolutionarily between 248 million years and 455 million years ago.
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