Squid's Brain Contains 500 Million Neurons

A giant squid off the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo CREDIT: KOJI SASAHARA/AP
A giant squid off the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo CREDIT: KOJI SASAHARA/AP
TT
20

Squid's Brain Contains 500 Million Neurons

A giant squid off the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo CREDIT: KOJI SASAHARA/AP
A giant squid off the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo CREDIT: KOJI SASAHARA/AP

The intelligence of squids has long caught researchers' interest, especially their color changing skill that allows them to integrate in different backgrounds and communicate with mates.

A research team at the University of Queensland, Australia, has recently uncovered the secret behind this animal's unique potentials.

The researchers have turned to modern technology to complete the first MRI-based map of the brain of the squid. They found that a squid has 500 million neurons. This number is higher than that of rats (200 million) and is more similar to what a dog's brain contains. The results of their study now appear in the journal iScience.

According to the study, the team basically adapted the ideas and techniques from mouse brain research with lots of modifications to make the first high-res squid brain imaging work.

The researchers observed 145 neural connections and pathways, more than 60 percent of which are linked to vision and motor systems. They also found that a lot of neural circuits are dedicated to camouflage and visual communication, giving the squid a unique ability to evade predators and hunt.

It took Senior Author Dr. Wen-Sung Chung and team some four years to come up with the first mesoscale brain map.

"It is like finally we have an early stage Google map, which allows us to navigate the complex brain lobes of these soft bodied creatures with solid knowledge background. This will help target some specific brain lobes or regions to investigate how these apparently smart animals evolve to these abilities," Chung told the Medical News Today website.

"I will focus on their vision-related abilities such as why and how they can do colorblind camouflage, as well as how they can see the polarization signals, which are invisible for most aquatic creatures," he added.

In the future, Chung and colleagues are looking at a comparison of the brain architecture among cephalopods including the solitary octopus, to see if their brains evolved differently according to ecosystem.



Double-Decker Bus Carrying Students Plunges into River in England in ‘Terrifying’ Crash

26 June 2025, United Kingdom, Eastleigh: A view of a Bluestar bus that was carrying pupils from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College after it came off the road and ended up in a river. (dpa)
26 June 2025, United Kingdom, Eastleigh: A view of a Bluestar bus that was carrying pupils from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College after it came off the road and ended up in a river. (dpa)
TT
20

Double-Decker Bus Carrying Students Plunges into River in England in ‘Terrifying’ Crash

26 June 2025, United Kingdom, Eastleigh: A view of a Bluestar bus that was carrying pupils from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College after it came off the road and ended up in a river. (dpa)
26 June 2025, United Kingdom, Eastleigh: A view of a Bluestar bus that was carrying pupils from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College after it came off the road and ended up in a river. (dpa)

A double-decker bus carrying high school students plunged into a river in southern England on Thursday, sending the driver and four teens to the hospital and leaving more than a dozen others with minor injuries, officials said.

The bus was bound for Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, a school for 16- to 18-year-olds, when it sped off a road in Eastleigh and plunged into the River Itchen. The cause of the wreck was being investigated by police and the bus company.

Police said there was no indication why the bus veered off the road. But a woman who lives nearby and heard a screeching sound and saw the bus crash through roadside barriers into the water said the driver told her he couldn’t stop.

Kelly West, who helped some of the students to safety, said the bus was going close to 60 mph (nearly 100 kph) and said it was like a scene out of "Speed," the Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock film about a bus barreling through Los Angeles.

"One of the young adults said the bus was just getting faster and faster as it came down the road and they didn’t know what he was going to do," West said. "I can well imagine they were all thinking they were going to die, quite frankly."

Inspector Andy Tester of the Hampshire Constabulary said it "must have been terrifying."

All 19 passengers on board were either able to get off the bus or were rescued, police said. The bus driver, who was trapped, and one student had serious injuries but were expected to survive.

West said the driver was alert and sharp, but panicking. She reassured him that help was on the way.

"He said the brakes failed and the accelerator was jammed and that he was trying to avoid cars," West said.

The bus was sitting upright in the river, next to a bridge, water up to its axles. Its front windows were smashed and mud was splattered on its side. A large section of bridge railing was missing.

About 14 students were treated at the scene by paramedics, the South Central Ambulance Service said. Two helicopters, five ambulances and fire crews responded to the crash.

Bluestar Bus said it did not immediately know the circumstances of the crash.