The cuttlefish and its coat of many colors - Many Minds
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- Title
- The cuttlefish and its coat of many colors
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- <p class="p1">We humans have a hard time becoming invisible. For better or worse, we're basically stuck with the skin and body we have; we’re pretty fixed in our color, our shape, our overall appearance. And so we're fascinated by creatures that <em>aren't</em>—creatures that morph to meet the moment, that can functionally disappear, that can shape-shift on a dime. And no creatures are more skilled, more astonishing, more bedazzling in their abilities to do this kind of thing than the cephalopods. But how do they do this exactly? What's going on in their skin? What's going on <em>under</em> their skin? And what's going on in their brains that makes this all possible?</p> <p class="p1">My guest today is <a href= "https://www.tessamontague.com/"><span class="s1">Dr. Tessa Montague</span></a>. Tessa is a neuroscientist in the Axel Lab at Columbia University; she studies the brain and behavior of the dwarf cuttlefish, with a special focus on the biology of their dynamic skin behaviors.</p> <p class="p1">Here, Tessa and I talk about how cuttlefish and other cephalopods exhibit the most impressive camouflaging abilities on the planet. We discuss how they change their skin's appearance with remarkable speed and fidelity—and not just when trying to blend in, but also when hunting, courting, fighting, and more. We talk about whether these behaviors are flexible and whether they're voluntary. We linger on the cruel irony that cuttlefish seem to be colorblind. We talk about the idea that a cephalopod's skin is kind of a window into their brain. We lay out the cells and organs in the cephalopod skin the make these behaviors possible—especially the tiny pigment-bearing structures called "chromatophores." And of course we also dive deep into the cephalopod brain and its sometimes bizarre and poorly understood structures.</p> <p class="p1">Excited to share it with you friends—I think you'll enjoy it. Without further ado, here's my chat with Dr. Tessa Montague.</p> <p class="p2"> </p> <p class="p1">A transcript of this episode will be posted soon.</p> <p class="p1"> </p> <p class="p1"><span style= "text-decoration: underline;"><span class="s1"><em>Notes and links</em></span></span></p> <p class="p1">3:00 – For more on Dr. Montague’s recent expeditions to the Philippines, including photos, see <a href= "https://www.tessamontague.com/expedition"><span class= "s2">here</span></a>.</p> <p class="p1">7:30 – Dr. Montague has published two recent reviews of dynamic skin behaviors in cephalopods—see <a href= "https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffa4a36a24aef1e5b920009/t/6634a8cc7b35152f10a0c9cb/1714727155804/Shook_CurrOpinion_2024.pdf"> <span class="s2">here</span></a> and <a href= "https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffa4a36a24aef1e5b920009/t/668ac47c43afe424bbf8689c/1720370300644/Montague_CurrBiol_2023b.pdf"> <span class="s2">here</span></a>. We previously discussed cephalopod intelligence in a <a href= "https://disi.org/the-savvy-cephalopod/"><span class="s2">2021 episode</span></a> with Dr. Alex Schnell and a <a href= "https://disi.org/the-octopus-and-the-android/">2023 episode</a> with the novelist Ray Nayler.</p> <p class="p1">18:30 – For discussion of a recent “renaissance” in new model organisms, see <a href= "https://www.thetransmitter.org/animal-models/the-non-model-organism-renaissance-has-arrived/"> <span class="s2">here</span></a>.</p> <p class="p1">20:30 – For more on how chameleons change color, see <a href= "https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/til-how-chameleons-change-color/"> <span class="s2">this video</span></a>.</p> <p class="p1">25:00 – A <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW4PbW893ik"><span class= "s2">video primer</span></a> on cuttlefish camouflage, featuring the researcher Dr. Robert Hanlon.</p> <p class="p1">30:30 – A <a href= "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06259-2"><span class= "s2">recent paper</span></a> on the details of pattern matching in cuttlefish camouflage.</p> <p class="p1">31:00 – For more on the mimicking plant <em>Boquila tr
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-30T23:40:00+00:00
- Status
- completed
- Website
- https://manyminds.libsyn.com/the-cuttlefish-and-its-coat-of-many-colors
- Length
- 93:37
- File
- /podcasts/Many Minds/1746056400-5051.mp3
- Size
- 128.57 MB
- Bitrate
- 187-CBR
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- 1
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