Why the octopus brain is so extraordinary - Cláudio L. Guerra

Prevoditelj: Marino Žarnić Recezent: Sanda L

What could octopuses possibly have in common with us?

Što bi zajedničko mogli imati hobotnice i ljudi?

After all, they don't have lungs, spines, or even a plural noun we can all agree on.

Hobotnice nemaju pluća, kralježnicu ili množinsku imenicu oko koje se slažemo.

But what they do have is the ability to solve puzzles,

Ali one mogu rješavati slagalice,

learn through observation,

učiti promatranjem,

and even use tools,

čak i koristiti alate,

just like some other animals we know.

poput drugih životinja poznatih po tome.

And what makes octopus intelligence so amazing

Inteligencija hobotnica je posebno zanimljiva

is that it comes from a biological structure

jer potječe iz biološke strukture

completely different from ours.

potpuno drukčije od naše.

The 200 or so species of octopuses

Poznajemo oko 200 vrsta hobotnica.

are mollusks belonging to the order cephalopoda,

Sve su one mekušci iz reda cefalopoda

Greek for head-feet.

(grč. glavonožac).

Those heads contain impressively large brains,

U tim glavama je impresivno velik mozak,

with a brain to body ratio similar to that of other intelligent animals,

a omjer mozga i tijela im je kao u drugih inteligentnih životinja,

and a complex nervous system with about as many neurons as that of a dog.

dok njihov složeni živčani sustav ima toliko stanica koliko i pas.

But instead of being centralized in the brain,

Nisu im sve stanice nakupljene u mozgu,

these 500 million neurons are spread out in a network of interconnected ganglia

njihovih 500 milijuna neurona tvore široku mrežu povezanih čvorova

organized into three basic structures.

koja ima tri osnovna dijela.

The central brain only contains about 10% of the neurons,

Središnji mozak ima samo oko 10% svih živčanih stanica,

while the two huge optic lobes contain about 30%.

dva velika optička režnja ih imaju oko 30%.

The other 60% are in the tentacles,

Preostalih 60% su u krakovima,

which for humans would be like our arms having minds of their own.

što je isto kao da kod ljudi svaka ruka ima svoj mozak.

This is where things get even more interesting.

I tu sve postaje još puno zanimljivije.

Vertebrates like us have a rigid skeleton to support our bodies,

Kralježnjaci poput nas imaju čvrst kostur koji podržava tijelo,

with joints that allow us to move.

sa zglobovima koji omogućavaju kretanje.

But not all types of movement are allowed.

Ali, nisu mogući svi pokreti.

You can't bend your knee backwards,

Svoje koljeno ne možete saviti unatrag

or bend your forearm in the middle, for example.

ili saviti podlakticu u sredini.

Cephalopods, on the other hand, have no bones at all,

Glavonošci, međutim, uopće nemaju kostiju

allowing them to bend their limbs at any point and in any direction.

pa svoje krakove savijaju na bilo koji način ili smjer.

So shaping their tentacles

Oblikuju svoje krakove

into any one of the virtually limitless number of possible arrangements

na bilo koji od bezbroj mogućih načina,

is unlike anything we are used to.

što je drukčije od svega što mi možemo.

Consider a simple task, like grabbing and eating an apple.

Evo jednostavnog zadatka, kako dohvatiti i pojesti jabuku.

The human brain contains a neurological map of our body.

Ljudski mozak ima neurološku mapu našeg tijela.

When you see the apple,

Kad vidiš jabuku,

your brain's motor center activates the appropriate muscles,

motorni centri u mozgu aktiviraju odgovarajuće mišiće,

allowing you to reach out with your arm,

tako da možeš posegnuti rukom,

grab it with your hand,

dohvatiti jabuku šakom,

bend your elbow joint,

saviti lakat

and bring it to your mouth.

i približiti jabuku ustima.

For an octopus, the process is quite different.

Za hobotnicu je postupak bitno drukčiji.

Rather than a body map,

Umjesto mape cijelog tijela,

the cephalopod brain has a behavior library.

mozak glavonošca čuva ''biblioteku ponašanja''.

So when an octopus sees food,

Kad hobotnica vidi hranu,

its brain doesn't activate a specific body part,

njen mozak ne aktivira određeni dio tijela.

but rather a behavioral response to grab.

On pokreće ''ponašanje hvatanja''.

As the signal travels through the network,

Dok signal putuje mrežom,

the arm neurons pick up the message

neuroni kraka primaju poruku

and jump into action to command the movement.

i izdaju zapovijed za pokret.

As soon as the arm touches the food,

Čim krak dotakne hranu,

a muscle activation wave travels all the way through the arm to its base,

mišićni aktivacijski val putuje prema samom početku kraka,

while the arm sends back another wave from the base to the tip.

a početak šalje suprotni val prema vrhu kraka.

The signals meet halfway between the food and the base of the arm,

Dva se signala sretnu na pola puta između hrane i početka kraka,

letting it know to bend at that spot.

i na tom se mjestu krak savija.

What all this means is that each of an octopus's eight arms

To znači da svaki od osam krakova

can essentially think for itself.

može samostalno misliti.

This gives it amazing flexibility and creativity

To omogućuje izuzetnu prilagodljivost i kreativnost

when facing a new situation or problem,

u novoj situaciji ili problemu,

whether its opening a bottle to reach food,

bilo da otvara bocu tražeći hranu,

escaping through a maze,

bježi iz labirinta,

moving around in a new environment,

prolazi novim okolišem,

changing the texture and the color of its skin to blend into the scenery,

mijenja teksturu i boju kože kako bi se sakrila u okolišu,

or even mimicking other creatures to scare away enemies.

ili čak mimikrijom u druge životinje plaši neprijatelje.

Cephalopods may have evolved complex brains

Glavonošci su možda razvili svoje složene mozgove

long before our vertebrate relatives.

puno prije naših srodnika kralježnjaka.

And octopus intelligence isn't just useful for octopuses.

Ta inteligencija ne koristi samo hobotnicama.

Their radically different nervous system and autonomously thinking appendages

Njihov drukčiji živčani sustav i krakovi koji samostalno misle,

have inspired new research

potakli su nova istraživanja

in developing flexible robots made of soft materials.

i razvoj fleksibilnih robota izrađenih od mekih materijala.

And studying how intelligence can arise along such a divergent evolutionary path

Proučavanje razvoja inteligencije drugim evolucijskim putom

can help us understand more about intelligence and consciousness in general.

pomaže nam općenito bolje razumjeti inteligenciju i svijest.

Who knows what other forms of intelligent life are possible,

Tko zna kakvi su još oblici inteligentnog života mogući

or how they process the world around them.

ili kako ''vide'' svijet oko sebe.