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Fact: Jellyfish can learn from their mistakes even though they don’t have brains
Rachel Feltman
before we talk about How do jellyfish learn?, we have to talk about the fact that they don’t have brains. Perhaps that’s not surprising if you think of the human brain as a prototype organ.
However, the brain is actually just a collection of nerve cells that control the body within the body. What these aggregates look like varies greatly, especially among invertebrates, where they are often very simple structures called ganglia. However, most of them have some kind of centralized nerve center. Jellyfish are some of the only animals that completely lack this structure. Others include sea cucumbers, sea urchins, corals, and other marine creatures known for deep intellectual exploration.
In a new study, researchers found that Caribbean box jellyfish can actually learn from experience, no brains required. Some scientists say this could mean that individual neurons can learn. To learn more about this experiment and its effects on our own cognitive abilities, check out this week’s episode.
Fact: The popularity of Hollywood quicksand peaked in the 1960s, but how does it work in real life?
Written by Jess Boddy
Quicksand was featured throughout the movie. It was the biggest fear of 10-year-olds in the 90s. One day you’re just living your life and walking around and BAM!!!!!! You get sucked into quicksand, sometimes up to your waist, sometimes completely. And we all know the classic instruction: “Do not move!” The more you move, the faster you will sink.
And while we may best remember Quicksand for movies like princess bride and A story that never ends, In fact, it was most popular as a storytelling device in the 1960s. And as one Slate writer argues: It seems no coincidence that 60s culture outside of movies was also immersed in quicksand.-From the Vietnam War to the policy known as the “quicksand model.” And as the decades passed, quicksand fell out of fashion, along with bell-bottoms and tie-dye, but it continued to scare all of us who were kids in the ’80s and ’90s.
But does real-life quicksand disappear into the ground in less than a second, like in the movies? Does it really sink quickly if you struggle with it? Listen to this week’s episode to hear the verdict, backed by both real-life experience and court cases. Nature Research and Mythbusters.
