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![Octopus](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7DhiV9a9j9xqoMVUGtw2JM-320-80.jpeg)
Octopuses may be terrifically smart because of this genetic quirk they share with humans
By Ben Turner published
Octopus brains may have grown smart from an enormous diversity of microRNAs that let them grow multiple types of brain cells.
![A giant squid lies on Newport Beach, California with the sun behind](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zxTyUnGEo7vV5oaEikTyk4-320-80.jpg)
What is the largest squid in the world?
By Charles Q. Choi published
There are two contenders for the world's largest squid, and both are giants.
![An octopus spotted by NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer's remotely operated vehicle near Shallop in the Atlantic Ocean.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9HYtEEWo4XCpBcUrATaMBn-320-80.jpg)
Octopus facts
By Alina Bradford last updated
These eight-armed, blue-blooded animals are quite intelligent. Sad about their sex lives, though.
![A common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) in the Mediterranean Sea.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vKqpjY9KYKPmxBLbVxwTpf-320-80.jpg)
Octopuses may be so terrifyingly smart because they share humans' genes for intelligence
By Donavyn Coffey last updated
Genetic analysis of octopuses identified DNA sequences in their brains called transposons, which may help regulate learning.
![A throw by a female octopus hits a male that was attempting to mate with her.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/J57WgJd8gQMQjFFF6pFxLL-320-80.gif)
Octopuses fling shells and sand at each other, and scientists caught their battles on video
By Mindy Weisberger last updated
Watch debris from the sea bottom fly, as octopuses hurl sand and other projectiles at their neighbors in an Australian bay.
![The purpleback flying squid (Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis) that swam past the ROV investigating the shipwreck in the Gulf of Aqaba.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ixhUQwymG86ToNbHnHY7HX-320-80.jpg)
Giant purpleblack flying squid photobombs crew investigating shipwreck
By Laura Geggel last updated
A team mapping the seafloor in the northern Red Sea unexpectedly spotted a purpleback flying squid near a previously unknown shipwreck.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d4NfLXhtnX4ywX8vzWiWZh-320-80.jpg)
Octopuses Are Surprisingly Social — and Confrontational, Scientists Find
By Mindy Weisberger last updated
A new study reveals that octopuses frequently communicate with each other in challenging displays that include posturing and changing color.
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