So I built a stegosaurus model kit, which included some factoids in the instructions. One of these factoids was that stegosaurs are not believed to have had a secondary brain in the hips to help them control their rear half after all. That was wild to me, since the whole stegosaurs and sauropods with their tiny heads needing a secondary brain for their huge bodies was commonly accepted back when I was a kid. So I looked it up, and indeed, the current hypothesis is that the cavity that the second brain was thought to occupy is used for a thing called a glycogen body. But what exactly does a glycogen body do? We'll get back to you on that, apparently.

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[–] 145 points 1 year ago (36 children)

TIL a second hip brain was once a theory.

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  • [–] 39 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    If be interested to know where and when that was considered a fact, because I'm 45 and never heard that before.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I'm 40 and remember being told that the Brontosaurus had multiple smaller brains down it's spine so that it could react to stimuli without having to wait for the signal to get all the way to its head and back.

    I also rember hearing at some point more recently that the Brontosaurus probably didn't exist. 🤷

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    tbf that's sorta true, they didn't have "mini-brains" but stuff like severe pain signals get processed in the spine, since every millisecond matters when you're absentmindedly stepping onto smouldering coal. That's why reflexes are reflexive, the brain isn't even involved at all.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)
    1. It was taken as a given. And my finest ever teacher was a hippy, from 1st though 6th grade. She was the best of the best, taught us what was known, at the time.
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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    It does make you wonder how many things we've all been carrying around in our heads since childhood, that were just passed down through generations without any amount of checking.

    Chances are she was taught it when she was at school, by somebody else who was taught it when they were at school. Before the internet it was kind of hard to look shit like that up, and encyclopaedias might not have covered it either. UNless you spent your life delving into a specific area, the edges of knowledge were (and still are) kind of fuzzy.

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  • [–] -4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (26 children)

    And could still be true.

    https://animaltriangle.com/animals-with-multiple-brains/

    Edit: See my later comment on more sources on bones. Fr guys, I have no idea either way, but if you're going to say my source is full of shit, provide your own legit sources to back you up.

    Edit 2: If you continue down this thread, there's a lot of trolling going on. This could be for 2 purposes, make me look like an unreliable source (on biology, that might be true) and ruin the vibe.

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  • [–] 20 points 1 year ago

    I can’t speak for every creature in this source but practically everything it says about turtles is a straight fabrication. They have one brain. It’s oddly shaped but just one. Next, it’s in their skull, not their neck - that’s crazy. Finally, TURTLES HAVE BONES WTF

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (15 children)

    I mean, yes, but... What other vertebrates have developed a secondary brain? That's a big deal evolutionarily, considering all other vertebrates have the one.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    It's been theorized that our digestive system acts as a sort of second brain.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Isn't that mostly pushed by the vaccines-cause-autism guy?

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    No idea who you are talking about, but it's well known that we have a really large and complex neuron structure spread through our digestive system.

    Nobody calls it a brain just because it's not an organ.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (10 children)

    Turtles have two brains. The first brain is located in the head and controls the eyes, ears, mouth, and other senses. The second brain is located in the neck region and controls the legs, tail, and other body parts.

    The brain of a turtle is much like ours, except for one big difference: they don’t have any bones. Their skulls are made up of cartilage instead of bone. This means that their skulls are flexible and can change shape to adapt to different situations.

    Edit:

    Source 2:

    Turtles possess a unique protective shell, leading to questions about its nature. In fact, turtles do have bones, and their shell is an integral, living component of their skeletal system, not a separate structure they can leave. This remarkable shell provides comprehensive protection, housing all their internal organs.

    https://biologyinsights.com/do-turtles-have-bones-explaining-their-skeleton/

    Source 3:

    .

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle#/media/File:How_the_Turtle_Gets_its_Shell.svg

    Looks like turtles have bones and you all flunked biology class. I didn't flunk, but I didn't pass with flying colors, so I have no idea on any of this shit.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Turtles don't have bones? Is this satire?

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  • [+] -6 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago

    How are you finding these sites? They're both AI generated ad farms with absolutely no seo. This one at least seems credible but it's just bizarre. It's literally just random science-adjacent Q&As on a science-adjacent URL with no other info. It's like a liminal space of online pseudo science. The biology backrooms.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (6 children)
    1. I stand corrected... And impressed.
    2. That link wasn't in your answer a minute ago.
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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    This isn’t true, the other poster’s source is likely AI generated. Turtles certainly have unique brain structures, but it’s still considered one brain with multiple regions. And these regions are all within the skull, not the neck.

    EDIT: Just read their source again and they state turtles don’t have bones. Wow.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    What the fuck is that article? It's absolute nonsense. Like a first gen AI was trained on a single biology textbook.

    The mosquito brain has three main parts: the antennae, the maxillary palps, and the proboscis.

    Octopuses don’t have any real social structure like mammals do. Instead, they communicate through chemical signals. But these chemicals can transmit emotions just as effectively as words and they have two eyes.

    Animals with multiple brains include octopuses, cephalopods (squid), and even humans.

    The brain of a cuttlefish is located in the head, which is made up of two parts: the upper part contains the eyes, and the lower part contains the mouth.

    Cuttlefish is one of the smartest animals in the world. They are able to solve complex mathematical equations

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    I thought you were trolling. But, no. Those quotes are actually in the linked article (original, archive link 1, and archive link 2 for posterity). Wtf

    Edit: archive links.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago*

    The entire website is like that. Except nearly every article is

    "These are the only 27 animals that have blue eyes!

    Humans are the only species with blue eyes

    Other species with blue eyes include the Siberian Huskie, the Great Dane, and the Dalmatian

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago*

    Not sure if you’re trolling or just a bit lost mate but you’re the only one who’s posted a source claiming turtles don’t have bones. Everyone else is aware that turtles have bones.

    E: Ah a troll after all. Started half good but honestly turned to shit pretty quick. 4/10. Turtles may have 1 brain but you, my friend, have 0.

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