Jerome Wodinsky News Today

Scientists have observed that the octopus leaves its protective embrace over its brood and becomes self-destructive as soon as the eggs are about to hatch.

A new study by researchers from the University of Chicago, the University of Washington, and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) shows that the optic gland in maternal octopuses undergoes a massive shift in cholesterol metabolism, resulting in dramatic changes in the steroid hormones produced.

Octopus mothers slam themselves against rocks and eat their own arms before their eggs hatch. Scientists have discovered what leads to the self-destruction.

New research helps explain why some octopus mothers die after laying their eggs. The findings point to the optic gland and cholesterol.

New research finds remarkable similarities in steroid hormone biology across cephalopods, mice, and humans that can have dire consequences when disrupted. For all their uncanny intelligence and seemingly supernatural abilities to change color and...