That’s a fascinating tidbit of information! While it’s true that humans and octopuses share a very, very distant common ancestor, pinpointing it to exactly 518 million years ago as the sole explanation for cephalopod intelligence is a bit of an oversimplification.
Here’s a more nuanced perspective:

• Distant Ancestry: Yes, all life on Earth shares a common ancestor at some point way back in evolutionary history. The lineage that eventually led to vertebrates (including humans) and the lineage that led to mollusks (including octopuses) diverged hundreds of millions of years ago, likely during the Cambrian period (around 541 to 485 million years ago). So, a common ancestor from around 518 million years ago is plausible within that timeframe.
• Independent Evolution of Intelligence: The remarkable intelligence of cephalopods like octopuses is largely considered to be a product of convergent evolution. This means that complex traits, like intelligence, can evolve independently in different lineages facing similar environmental pressures or ecological niches. In the case of cephalopods, their active predatory lifestyle, complex social interactions (in some species), and need for camouflage and problem-solving likely drove the evolution of their sophisticated nervous systems and cognitive abilities.
• Different Evolutionary Paths: While we share a distant ancestor, the evolutionary paths taken by vertebrates and cephalopods have been vastly different for hundreds of millions of years. Our intelligence arose from a vertebrate nervous system with a centralized brain and spinal cord. Cephalopods, on the other hand, have a decentralized nervous system with a significant concentration of neurons in their arms, allowing for a unique form of distributed intelligence.
  In summary:
  While a common ancestor from around 518 million years ago exists, it’s not the direct reason for the intelligence of cephalopods. Their intelligence is a remarkable example of independent evolution driven by their specific ecological demands. It highlights how different evolutionary paths can lead to complex cognitive abilities.
  It’s more accurate to say that we share a very ancient ancestor, but the intelligence of cephalopods arose through a completely separate evolutionary journey. Their cognitive abilities are a testament to the power of natural selection shaping intelligence in diverse ways.

This deep evolutionary link offers a fresh perspective on why octopuses, despite being invertebrates, display such sophisticated behaviors typically associated with vertebrate animals

The Microrna Breakthrough

The key to this complexity lies in microRNAs (miRNAs) — small, regulatory molecules that control how genes are expressed. 

A study led by Nikolaus Rajewsky at the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine revealed that soft-bodied cephalopods like octopuses experienced a “massive expansion of the miRNA gene repertoire.” 

This significant increase appears to be a major driver behind the evolution of their advanced brains, allowing for the creation of more diverse neuron types.

The researchers noted, “We show that the major RNA innovation of soft-bodied cephalopods is a massive expansion of the miRNA gene repertoire,” underscoring the scale of this evolutionary leap.

Convergent Evolution of Complex Brains

What makes this finding even more striking is that the brains of octopuses and humans seem to have grown complex in a remarkably similar way, despite following entirely separate evolutionary paths. 

Scientists describe this phenomenon as convergent evolution. The expansion of microRNAs in both lineages suggests that nature may favor certain molecular mechanisms when constructing complex brains, even in vastly different organisms. 

This discovery points to a shared biological strategy in building intelligence across distant branches of life.

Changing Perceptions of Animal Intelligence

The study challenges traditional ideas about intelligence in the animal kingdom. Octopuses have long fascinated researchers with their problem-solving skills, adaptability, and curiosity, traits now better understood through their RNA innovations. 

By highlighting the role of microRNAs in octopus brain development, scientists open a new window into how cognitive abilities might arise independently in very different forms of life. 

The parallel between human and octopus brain complexity suggests that intelligence could emerge in many more ways than previously thought.

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