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This video uses your eye's built-in blind spot to trick your brain into making a man's head vanish. I've seen some pretty awesome optical illusion videos in my time, and I'm calling it now: this is the best one yet. More »
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We all know octopuses are clever, but a recent study reveals that the brainy beasts are crafty even at the molecular level. In a study published in the latest issue of Science, researchers reveal that octopuses living in the hypothermic climes of Antarctica rely not on their DNA, but the revision of their RNA, to withstand the cold. More »
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The mimic octopus is a stealthy swimmer (and a furious lover) but it's not the only master of disguise in the ocean. While swimming off of the coast of Indonesia last July, diver Godehard Kopp noticed that a black-marble jawfish was surreptitiously hitching a ride with the mimic octopus. More »
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Antarctica is the coldest, most desolate place on Earth, and the Southern Ocean that surrounds it is much the same...with one pretty massive exception. The hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor are hot, dark oases, full of previously unknown species. More »
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This little guy (gal?) is adorable. I love the way its arms occasionally stretch out ahead of itself as it ambles about (you can really see what I'm talking about around 23 seconds in, as it makes its way back onto the shell). More »
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We love ourselves some mimic octopodes, and they certainly love each other. In fact, here are two Indonesian mimic octopodes engaged in the delicate art of making genetic knock-offs of themselves. Such choreography! This is some tentacle porn we have no compunction posting without the NSFW tag. More »
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It's generally agreed around these parts that octopodes are disturbingly awesome. The blanket octopus however kicks our cephalopod fascination into overdrive. How come? This creature looks like a swimming tablecloth or one of the aliens from Abyss. More »
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I wish there was some way I could hear what's going on inside the mind of this octopus. Do you think it wants to make friends, or is it doing its damnedest to strike terror into the hearts of the talkative onlookers that have gathered to observe it and comment on its every move? More »
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Humans want to believe that they're the smartest creatures on the planet. But the more we understand octopuses, the more it seems that we may not be alone in our ability to solve problems, make complex connections between ideas, and survive by wits alone. A growing body of evidence — a lot of it still anecdotal — suggests that octopuses show elements of human-like intelligence. But their intelligence has evolved for very different reasons than ours did, which makes them particularly difficult to understand. More »
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Orion Magazine's Sy Montgomery has written a wonderfully funny, informative and heartfelt article about the enigmatic octopus and its mysterious mind. More »
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Underneath our skin all people are the same — unless, that is, you have tentacles instead of legs, a fishtail where your waist ends, or a long, elegant beak springing from your face. More »
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As far as invertebrates go, you don't get much smarter than the members of the mollusk phylum, which includes octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid. But mollusks apparently didn't think through their evolutionary path very well, developing brains four times over. More »
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Straight out of Burning Man 2011, it's Duane Flatmo's El Pulpo Mechanico. It's an octopus. It's a steampunk tank. It's a video game boss. It's an avatar of flaming doom. It's a one-metal-cephalopod parade. I wish I could drive it down the turnpike. More »
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Your underwater city was rocked by an earthquake and its protective dome has sprung a leak. You've evacuated most of the citizens, but as mayor, you must stay behind and try to contain the damage. The water is rising. The glass continues to crumple - it seems like the end. But look! An underwater robot octopus has come to your rescue! More »
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Cephalopods often change color to confuse their prey or escape their predators. They can't see color, but their predators and prey can. How do they pull it off? More »
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Looking to spice up your drawing room with some Lovecraftian flair? Look no further than Maximo Riera's Octopus Chair. This chair's fetching in both the parlor and the briny depths of R'lyeh. It's also perfect for the discerning Yog fan. More »
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Tired of those adorably saccharine puppy and kitten webcam shows? The Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon has set up a streaming camera showcasing their cantankerous 40-pound giant octopus, Deriq. Behold the OctoCam! More »
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Richard Donner's classic swearing-children flick The Goonies turns 25 tomorrow. To commemorate its release, here's the deleted scene in which Data defeats a giant octopus with an über-modern cassette player. Enjoy. More »
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Further proof that cephalopods are intelligent: This octopus stole a diver's brand-new videocamera then recorded a high-speed chase where the diver tried (and eventually succeeded) in getting his camera back. Was this a hostile move or just play? More »
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In one corner, we have some hungry pinniped thunder from down the under. In the other, there's eight arms of ink-spewing squishiness. Who wins this battle? Don't bet on the cephalopod. More »
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Tools aren't just for vertebrates anymore. The veined octopus has been spotted lugging around coconut shells to serve as mobile shelters, the first time scientists have observed tool use in an invertebrate species. More »
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Giant jellyfish and cephalopods are fearsome enough on their own, but wait until they get their tentacles on man-made weapons. Keith Noordzy's Man-Made Disaster series pairs natural monsters with technological menaces. More »
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In artist FilthyLuker's street installations, giant inflatable tentacles emerge from buildings and vehicles, creating the sense that a monstrous kraken or Lovecraftian horror is trapped inside. More »
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When the mutants rise up and start culling the inferior humans from the population, you'll need some protective coloration to survive. So now is a perfect time to prepare, by shoving disc-shaped silicone implants under your skin to look like a half-octopus mutant. A post-human fashion statement is just a short trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil away. Save up your dough and visit Dark Freak at the Luck All bodymod parlor, and you'll be looking like a half-breed sushi victim in no time at all. Although it's best not to think too much about what keeps them from sliming around under the skin. That's when the real seasickness starts. [Ectoplasmosis] More »
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