Popular Science USA – July-August 2019

TALES FROM THE FIELD

as told to Alex Schwartz as told to Rachel Nuwer / illustrations by Pedro Piccinini

Octopuses seem nothing like us. Their brains

are physiologically different. Yet they inter-

act with one another and do complex tasks

the way we do— they even solve puzzles.

One species we work with is typically

reclusive. However, they become quite the

party animals during their mating seasons.

In humans, a neurotransmitter called sero-

tonin promotes this kind of social

functioning. But that molecule has been

around far longer than we have—so it could

be a driving force behind these behaviors in

other species too, including octopuses.

To test out this idea, we gave two octo-

puses MDMA, a psychoactive drug that

binds to a protein that transports sero-

tonin. It’s known to boost empathy in

humans. We dunked each creature in a

tank of seawater laced with MDMA, and

let the drug kick in and do its work.

Then we placed the cephalopods in a

chamber with a playful toy on one side and

another octopus on the other. With MDMA

in their systems, the two creatures spent

significantly more time on the side with

their fellow drugged test subject. They even

became more fluid in their movements—

literally doing backflips and dancing about.

“This is the right dose,” I said.

That shifted interest from aloofness to

socialization showed that octopuses have

the same serotonin transporter protein as

we do, which suggests it’s been influencing

the way animals interact for millennia.

BEACH PARTY

i gave MDMA

to octopods

GUL DOLEN, NEUROSCIENTIST

AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

My specialty is deep-

sea biodiversity. I

study invertebrates

that live in hydrothermal vents

near the ocean floor. These

are unique habitats associ-

ated with hot springs, which

tend to be found near volcanic

activity. Many of the creatures

that thrive there are not found

anywhere else on Earth. Al-

most every time we discover

another of these springs, we

find new species.

Accessing the habitat is

quite challenging. With cur-

rent technology, you need to

be in a deep-diving submarine

or use a nimble sea robot. For

the latter, you’re on a small

ship, dangling a cable 2 miles

down, then dropping and

guiding the robot to an exact

spot on the bottom. It’s like

trying to fish for something on

land from inside an airplane.

Going down in a submers-

ible is tricky too. Parking is a

real pain. There are jagged

volcanic rocks everywhere

with really hot water spouting

out— reaching 660 degrees

Fahrenheit at some sites.

Meanwhile, being inside is

akin to being jammed in a

Volkswagen Beetle with two

other people. We try to keep

a dive to 10 hours, which is

definitely a long time consid-

ering there’s no bathroom.

When I’m down there, though,

I’m so involved in the science

and the energy and the fact

that we’re exploring the sea-

floor that I basically forget I

have bodily functions at all.

I’m not hungry or thirsty

either—I’m just completely

absorbed in my work. It takes

an hour or two to journey

back up to the surface, which

is when I really start to notice

those things again.

The information we gain

about the creatures living in

these inhospitable habitats

could inform processes like

making industrial enzymes

and developing new pharma-

ceuticals. But personally, I find

value simply in discovering the

existence of all these new

species: I’m studying these

animals and habitats to better

understand what and who we

share this planet with.

WAY, WAY DOWN

STACE BEAULIEU, BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHER

AT THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

we’ve got friends

in low places

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