Was an Octopus the World’s First Geneticist?

Scientists discover a species of octopus can manipulate its RNA in order to survive chilly polar waters.


Summary: Cold temperatures normally slow organisms down because all molecules move slower under such circumstances, including the proteins that send “movement“ messages along nerve cells. But one species of octopus that has relocated into the chilly waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans has been found to actually be able to manipulate its genetic material in order to keep moving. 


The chilly-water octopus has the ability to “edit” its RNA (intermediate protein-making molecules) to provide a short term solution that allows greater flexibility than if it were to alter its DNA, a process referred to as a genetic mutation. Scientists had known about RNA editing and how it can help electricity-conducting ion channels in the body to open and close, but they hadn’t previously seen it happen in response to an environmental cue like temperature.


The researchers compared two octopi species, the Pareledone species from an area in the Antarctic where water temperatures average 35.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.8 degrees Celsius) and the Octopus vulgaris from Puerto Rico with its 86 degree Fahrenheit waters (30 degrees Celsius). They analyzed the genes that regulate when a brain cell sends a message. The scientists found little difference in the signals between the two species.


"What really surprised us, when we cloned [looked at the code of] the genes, they were virtually identical between the Antarctic and the tropical octopus, after millions of years apart in very different temperatures," a researcher named Rosenthal said. It isn’t any differences in the genes that allow adaptations to the cold, but the important factor is how the organisms edit their RNA.


RNA is the intermediate form of DNA that produces proteins which tell the body how to function. The RNA of the cold-water octopi was changed before they were made into proteins. When editing did not take place, the cold water ion channels opened 14 times slower and closed 60 times more slowly in cold water compared to warm waters. But with RNA editing, the channels worked and allowed the octopus to keep its nerve signals moving relatively quickly even in chilly waters. 


(Photo of an Octopus vulgaris from Wikimedia Commons, credited to albert kok.) 


To read the entire article, click on LIVE SCIENCE.


Comment: Gregor Mendel, the Austrian friar who lived from 1822 to 1884, is given the credit for founding the new science of genetics, even though the significance of his work was not fully recognized until much later. So, it’s remarkable that the lowly octopus which, according to most secular scientists, evolved during the Cambrian period (542 to 483 million years ago) appears to know something about the subject. 


It’s not only that the octopus is at least somewhat genetics-savvy, but even more amazing is the observation that it actually has some control over its genes. (Consider that we humans can’t directly control our RNA in order to feel warmer; all we can do is shiver, or put on a coat.) Even the secular researcher Rosenthal seemed impressed by this apparent ability of the octopi when he said, "From the standpoint of the organism … it gives you good options because you can decide to change protein function now or you don't want to. You don't have to stick to exactly what your gene says." 


How many examples of the amazing intelligence and abilities of mere animals such as this one will it take to convince even the most stubborn naturalist that there must be a Supreme Intelligence who built these remarkable talents into the fabric of these creatures? Sadly, many scientists and others have hardened their hearts to the point they will never admit the obvious. But God has a warning for all who refuse to see Him in His creation.


“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).


Such a warning need not bother anyone who will confess his sins and come to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and the promise of eternal life in heaven. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36). 


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QUESTION OF THE DAY


Why does drinking alcohol do such a poor job of warming people up?


Alcohol increases blood flow to the skin making a person feel warmer, but that actually allows body warmth to escape into the air more rapidly. This means his/her body is actually getting cooler and putting the person at risk for hypothermia.


Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quoted in Bottom Line Personal (1/15/12)


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