I wonder if all types of squid have this ability? Amazing the things animals can do, and we probably don't know the half of them. [curious.com]
That links only to an app for me, not an article. Therefore I can’t comment on it. I will however, say that I’ll warrant it’s a good bit more than half the things that we don’t know about.
Well that sucks.. it still works for me. Here is the text;
"Here we have another case of animals accomplishing what lies in our wildest dreams. This time, it's the longfin inshore squid and its ability to edit its own genetic code as it pleases. According to a recent study by the Marine Biological Laboratory, this 16-inch mollusk does this by altering ribonucleic acid (RNA) within its axons. As a refresher, RNA is a molecule that functions as a messenger for deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA—another molecule which holds information crucial to the development of our bodies and reproduction. Axons, meanwhile, are bridge-like threads which tether cells together and transmit electrical impulses between them. The squids' ability to manipulate their RNA within their axons is a far safer method than those that alter RNA within the cell's nucleus. Another plus is that if the squid's body makes a mistake during its gene editing, the RNA simply abandons the order. Meanwhile, current human methods like CRISPR require puncturing not only the cell membrane, but the membrane of the cell's nucleus. They also carry the risk of harmful mutations. Conceptual therapies mimicking the squids' technique would likely allow scientists to alter genetics by only going into a cell's cytoplasm: the material encompassing the cell's nucleus. This new finding is quite a revelation. There's still no word on why exactly these squids tweak their genes. The reigning theory is that they do it to quickly adapt to changing environments. Gene editing, camouflage, self-operating tentacles, and stereopsis? Squids and their octopi cousins are some of the strangest creatures on Earth. From here on out, I think I'll be refraining from squid sushi! "
@Captain_Feelgood thanks for that. Yeah it’s pretty exciting. Every time we make tech advancements it seems we find evolution has beaten us to the punch.
A self editing beast? Amazing!
Isn't it cool as hell? (rhetorically speaking, of course..)
@Captain_Feelgood .... or perhsps, "oxymoronically" speaking?