231
The entire body of a sea urchin is what researchers are now calling an “all-body brain,” with neurons that function as a brain throughout its anatomy. (www.popularmechanics.com)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/science@mander.xyz
22 comments fedilink hide all child comments

all 24 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 29 points 11 months ago (4 children)

So, when I see chefs open one up and eat it raw, they're eating living brains?

Metal.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 25 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    They are eating the roe. So genitals, eggs, and sperm.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
    • [–] 21 points 11 months ago (8 children)

    These guys always made me feel uncomfortable. I would collect and eat them, and the remains would run away afterward.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 8 child comments
    •
  • [–] 7 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    Could you do me a favor? Since you know what you're looking for, will you see if you can find any videos of this? I looked, but either my keywords are bad, or there just aren't any. I'm assuming it's bad keywords. That's absolutely wild.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 6 points 11 months ago* (1 child)

    I tried. This isn't a very good video, but you can kinda see it's still trying to crawl away after it's been eaten at several points. I might have had 20 or so in a pile fresh out of the water and they were much more active. I hope this helps.

    I like the fat ones. The long ones don't taste good.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] [S] 14 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    Er...I...um...what‽

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 19 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    It’s true! I would collect them in a pail from the tidal pools as a child. I would crack them open with whatever I had available and eat them, and the halves would still be running around on the ground after I discarded the rest.

    The parts of urchin, the remains, they would skitter around and bunch up in one corner of the yard trying to get away like they didn’t realize they’d been eaten yet even though there was nothing left inside.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
    • [–] 9 points 11 months ago

    Fedi-urchin

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •
    [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    Urchins are like the God-emperor in Dune, understood.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •
    [+] 1 point 11 months ago* (2 children)
    [removed by mod]
  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 child)

    Depends on your definition of thinking. If by think you mean react to their environment and possibly have some form of chemically based memory, that seems possible. Hell they have to react to the environment to maintain homeostasis. Multicellular organisms are ultimately a kind of colony of unicellular organisms if you get right down to it.

    If you mean actual cognition, definitely not. There's an indisputable difference between reacting to stimulus and considering the cause of the stimulus and the second one needs a neutral network or something like it, it's simply too complex... Probably.

    I also don't think it's unreasonable that an organ could affect thought patterns aka personalities, but there's a big, big difference between your brain's specific chemical environment they are affecting and the memories it contains.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [+] 2 points 11 months ago (1 child)
    [removed by mod]
  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 0 points 11 months ago

    Microtubules are also just mechanically involved in synaptic firing. If you disrupt their chemistry you disrupt the ion transfer chains throughout the entire synapse. I'm not nearly read enough on the finer details on those mechanisms and definitely not the quantum theory you seem to be referencing to offer an expert opinion but I'm really inclined to go with Occam's Razor on this one.

    Who knows though, maybe you're right, it certainly would explain some weird behaviors most microbiologists just kind of shrug off 🤷‍♂️

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
    • load more comments (-1 replies)
    • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    So they are basically an intellect devourer with spines?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •
    [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    Oh, so just like me.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •
    [–] 1 point 11 months ago (1 child)

    This is such a shit magazine. They are not "all brain", its more like their brain is just scattered evenly throughout their body.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
    • 2 comments in c/science@lemmy.ml view that post
    [–] 4 points 11 months ago

    Pretty interesting, but I think that they need to also focus on brainwaves, instead of primarily direct neuron connectivity. I think information distribution/processing is spread over all communication channels/pathways, like neurons2neurons, hormones/chems, em waves and so on. The little brain-body guy could be a upcoming star in cognitive research - being zapped endlessly for humanity. Yay..

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •
    [–] 5 points 11 months ago

    Communism in one organism

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •