Tiny, brainless jellyfish just did something that on the surface may seem impossible: the adorable creatures showed evidence of learning.
Even with just 1,000 neurons active at a time and no central brain, Caribbean box jellyfish (Tripedalia cystophora) can learn from experience, researchers argue in a new paper published September 22 in the journal Current Biology. The results aren’t surprising, say several scientists not involved in the project, but are a reminder for people to think more broadly about learning.
“If you’re an animal and have to navigate the world, you have to learn cues and consequences. Otherwise you’re dead, and you can’t reproduce,” says Christie Sahley, a… More.
Human scientists—used to the benefits of a centralized, complex brain—have been underestimating what a simple nerve network can do.
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