How to Learn Without a Brain
Tiny box jellyfish are brainless—but they still make memories and adapt. The post How to Learn Without a Brain appeared first on Nautilus.
The tiny box jellyfish lives in warm costal waters all over the world, including the murky waters of the mangrove forests of the Caribbean. Barely the size of a fingernail, they swiftly navigate a dark underwater maze of tangled roots scouting for their prey—water fleas.
The bell-shaped bodies of these jellyfish (are so small and simple that they lack a brain. Yet, despite that seeming obstacle, they are exceedingly fast learners, scientists report in a recent in the journal. They can quickly form and retain memories about sensory information they receive from the environment and can adapt their behavior in response. The findings suggest that a “brain” is not as essential to learning as we thought.
