06/27/2014

Getting A Grasp On The Clever Cephalopod

13:24 minutes

Cephalopods—which include octopus, squid, and cuttlefish—are quick, clever, and masters of disguise. Video producer Luke Groskin chats about vampire squid and cuttlefish while biologist Jennifer Basil homes in on one cephalopod that seems to swim below the public’s radar: the nautilus. With its heavy outer shell, weak vision, and primitive brain, it’s a “living fossil”—and Basil’s studying it to better understand the origins of the complex brain of the modern cephalopods. (To see various cephalopods in action, check out the links below.)

Cephalopod Videos
Teaching Ancient Nautilus New Tricks
Caring for Cuttlefish
The Vampire Squid from Hell
Where’s the Octopus

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Segment Guests

Jennifer Basil

Jennifer Basil is an associate professor of biology at Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York.

Luke Groskin

Luke Groskin is Science Friday’s video producer. He’s on a mission to make you love spiders and other odd creatures.

Meet the Producers and Host

About Luke Groskin

Luke Groskin is Science Friday’s video producer. He’s on a mission to make you love spiders and other odd creatures.

About Alexa Lim

Alexa Lim was a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.

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