Scientists have recorded brainwaves of free-roaming octopuses for the first time. The data show some unexpected patterns, although it’s still too early to know how octopus brains control animal behavior, researchers report Feb. 23 in Current Biology.

“In the past, it was so difficult to record squid even when they were sedated,” says Robyn Crook, a neuroscientist at San Francisco State University who was not involved in the study. “Even when her arms aren’t moving, her whole body is very flexible,” which makes attaching recording devices difficult.

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Octopuses also tend to be feisty and smart. That means they don’t typically put up with the uncomfortable equipment typically used to record brainwaves in animals, says neuroethologist Tamar Gutnick of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy.

To circumvent these obstacles, Gutnick and colleagues adapted wearable data loggers typically used in birds and surgically inserted the devices into three octopuses. The researchers also placed recording electrodes in areas of the squid’s brain that deal with learning and memory. The team then recorded the squid for 12 hours while the cephalopods went about their daily lives – sleeping, swimming and self-care – in tanks.

Some brainwave patterns emerged in all three squids over the 12-hour period. For example, some waves resembled activity in the human hippocampus, which plays a crucial role in memory consolidation. Other brainwaves were similar to those that control sleep-wake cycles in other animals.

The researchers also recorded some brain waves that they say have never been seen in an animal before. The waves were unusually slow, alternating only two per second, or 2 hertz. They were also unusually strong, suggesting high levels of synchronization between neurons. Sometimes only one electrode picked up the strange waves; another time they showed up on widely spaced electrodes,

Observing these patterns is exciting, but it’s too early to tell if they’re linked to a specific behavior or type of cognition, Gutnick says. Experiments with repetitive tasks are needed to fully understand how these brain areas are activated during learning in octopuses.

The new research is exciting in that it offers future researchers a technique to monitor brain activity in awake and naturally behaving squid, Crook says. It could be used to study the brain activity behind the animals’ color-changing abilities, spectacular vision, sleeping patterns and dexterous arm control (SN: 01/29/16; SN: 03/25/21).

Octopuses are highly intelligent, so “by studying the creatures you can get a picture of what’s important for intelligence,” says Gutnick. “The problems that animals face are the same problems, but the solutions they find are sometimes similar and sometimes different, and all of these comparisons teach us something.”

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The House:

100 Flying Mist Isle in Foster City

What makes it unique:

This four-bedroom, three-bathroom house located in the oldest neighborhood of Foster City was a unique sell because of its layout and location, said Compass real estate agent Julie Flouty, who listed the property. Waterfront homes in Foster City are desirable, but the views offered by this custom-build made it even more so. The city, just south of San Francisco International Airport in San Mateo County, is a planned community built in the 1960s by raising and expanding Brewer’s Island, which was created by levees on the salt marshes of San Francisco Bay. The house is at the end of one of the city’s seven cul-de-sac islands along a 6-foot-deep and 212-acre-wide lagoon, which acts as a drainage basin to withstand flooding from storms, said Flouty. This house saw an enormous amount of interest, with one major draw being the beachfront-style deck that leads down to the water, and ample space to watch boats and paddle-boarders ply the waterways, and to view activities at nearby Erckenbrack Park. “Waterfronts are emotional,” said Flouty, who said the home’s positioning at the end of the isle created an aura of relaxation and quiet. “It’s hard to put a price on anything with a view; it’s very subjective to that one individual.” Waterfront locations are desirable, but in some communities, they also present some risk. Foster City was one of the Bay Area regions profiled by the Chronicle last year for its efforts to address sea level rise in years ahead. A $90 million project is currently underway there to build a stronger and taller levee that would keep the sea at bay. It is being financed by residents who were warned that without a new levee they would be forced to buy expensive flood insurance. As with many other regions of the Bay Area, the real estate market in Foster City saw a huge boom in 2020 and 2021, with most homes receiving multiple offers and many properties selling for as much as half a million dollars over asking price, Flouty said . While high mortgage rates and the summer season have slowed things, Flouty said Foster City remains very popular with buyers, particularly families who work in tech around Silicon Valley.

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Dolores Park filled with sunbathers on March 31, 2021 when the skies over San Francisco were clear and sunny.

A count

If you went outside today and thought it felt a little hotter than usual, that’s because it is. With a temperature of 84 degrees in the early afternoon, today is officially the hottest day in San Francisco this year, according to ABC 7 meteorologist Drew Tuma. Before this week, San Francisco had not seen temperatures exceeding 70 degrees in over two months.

With 84 ° it is officially the hottest day of this year in San Francisco pic.twitter.com/popYSwVB2j

– Drew Tuma (@ DrewTumaABC7) August 28, 2021

It’s even hotter in the Bay Area, with Fremont and Redwood City hitting the lower end of the 90s, and San Jose and Palo Alto both hitting the mid-90s.

The temperature rise is the result of two separate high pressure systems – one over the Eastern Pacific and one over the Texas Panhandle.

In addition to the heat, the San Francisco Bay Area will also be hit by poor air quality this weekend. The Bay Area Quality Management District had already issued a spare-the-air alarm in the region for Friday and Saturday due to the presence of forest fire smoke and has since been extended to Sunday. Until the end of the warning, residents are prohibited from burning wood indoors and outdoors.

Cooler temperatures are expected for Sunday and the rest of the week. Forecasts predict a low 70s on Sunday and a mid to high 60s by Friday.

The Bay City News Service contributed to coverage of this story.

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