Octopuses Can Stray From Their DNA

摘要

IF OUR DNA is a blueprint, then RNA is the messenger, ferrying instructions for biological tasks to our cells. If you're an octopus, though, that message can change en route. An international research team found that octopuses can edit their RNA, albeit unintentionally. This ability may offer some of the same adaptive benefits as natural selection, but on an individual level. Writing in April in the journal Cell, the scientists said this ability allows octopuses to reinterpret their DNA in a way that could grant them new traits, like bette cold adaptation. There were also hints that these RNA changes made the animals smarter.