“The pedestal upon which humans place themselves

in terms of neurological abilities

continues to crumble.”

Professor Malcom Kennedy

                

I always felt an affinity for the T.J. Maxx slogan “never the same place twice.” Indeed, my essential necessities (glasses, pens, cell phone, current book I’m reading, etc.) are truly never the same place twice.

Consider then, the clever Cuttlefish. They are invertebrates and, therefore, have no spine. But their brains are among the largest of the cephalopods, and they can remember “the what, where, and when specific things happened right up to their final days of life, according to new research” as confirmed by the lead study author, Dr Alexandra Schnell from the University of Cambridge. Equally interesting, though not relevant to this study, the amazing Cuttlefish have three hearts, eight arms, blue-green blood, regenerating limbs, and the ability to camouflage and exert self-control.

You’ve probably heard of the Stanford marshmallow test in which a child is offered one marshmallow to eat immediately or, better yet, two marshmallows if the kid can sit with the first untouched treat in an otherwise empty room for twenty minutes in order to get the second one as well.

The cuttlefish were trained to approach a certain part of the tank where two meals were offered.  One entrée was king prawns served hourly, but these are not their favorite dish. The other offer was grass prawns which they much prefer; these were available every three hours in another tank location. Cuttlefish live two years, and the youngsters (a year or less) were tested along with the geriatric bunch (between 1-2 years).  Both groups were easily taught where the prize was no matter how young or old. The elders, however, outdid the young’uns in remembering where the food was left as the locations kept changing after the initial training.

“As they get older,” summarizes Dr. Schnell, “They show signs of declining muscle function and appetite, but it appears that no matter their age, they can remember what they ate, where and when, and use this to guide their future feeding decisions.” On the other hand, our memory center, the two sea-horse shaped hippocampi in the temporal lobes of our brain, deteriorate along with our hearing, our knees, and many other parts, and we tend to lose track of past experiences including the where, when, and who of it all.  Past experiences such as where did I last see my walking shoes and perhaps my prescription glasses are on the radiator in the bathroom.