Octopuses have a brain and eight arms with individual "brains" or bundles of nerves that allow them to compute complex tasks completely within the arm, somtimes never sending a signal to the brain.
This inspires a thought in me about how we as humans are all connected but still separate.
There is this universal knowledge and energy we are all a part of yet we still have freedom of choice and our own separate thoughts.
I'll have to elaborate more when I'm not on my phone..

Have you read Intelligence in Nature by Jeremy Narby? It details quite a bit about slime mould and plants which compute and appear to make intelligent and efficient decisions based on input stimuli without a brain. They use chemicals such as calcium to transmit 'messages' between various parts of the organism (similar to animals) to react to stimulus thus bypassing the need for a brain. However, you would maybe classify the whole organism as a brain of sorts.

As with connectedness, have you watched that youtube video of Paul Stamets talking about 6 ways mushrooms can save the world? He speaks about mycelium (again, without a brain, but seemingly acting like a brain) which seems to be the essence of connectedness. I didn't quite absorb everything he said as he uses a lot of mycological terminology and speaks quickly enough lol. I've ordered his book, Mycelium Running though so I am awaiting in anticipation as it seems to be a very interesting topic.

..i've read that octopuses have been found to have a higher intelligence level than dogs..when fish started mysteriously disappearing overnight from the Sydney
Darling Harbour Aquarium, security videos spotted an octopus sliding the lid off it's tank, moving into adjacent tanks to grab fish, and then returning to it's tank,
replacing the glass! (as ever, will dig up the article eventually)..
..some species have complex colour-change/pulsing 'languages'..their feelings are displayed to all other similar octopii, so the 'ink jet screen' is thought to allow them
privacy within a group (not just defensive against predators..)
..also, some do apparently arrange simple gardens of sea plants outside their undersea caves..

love em!...

..here's a few video links on octopus intelligence..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8cf7tPoN5o & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4_eiKOyIoQ
an article: http://www.scientificamerican.c...m?id=are-octopuses-smart
& a web forum http://www.tonmo.com/forums/sho...ce-compared-to-the-dog..

juz love em...!

[ps. the small aussie Blue Ringed Octopus contains (as defence) tetrodotoxin (found in puffer fish, fugu fish & haitian zombie potion)...]

Yeah jen I did see the stamets video, really amazing!
Nen I saw a show on cuddlefish that can change there color as well as put on dazzling hypnotic displays with their skin. I highly reccomend checking them out

archaic_architect wrote ,
..thanks, looking forward to watching..i find all these colour-cycle/pulsation based 'languages' quite reminiscent of some entheogenically encountered entities...

Then you will love this it actually puts prey into a trance so they sit there like a deer in headlights (or a human on DMT)

I had NO IDEA that octopi like to garden!! That is SO COOL!! That made my morning! Thank you!

Nature is so amazing... <3

..groovy ms_manic_minxx
it's near impossible to google octopus den/garden ecology papers(because of the Ringo song), but here's a breif description http://www.seaworld.org/animal-...mes/mollusca/octopus.pdf see section 'Feeding'
..somewhere, i've read about arrangements of seaweed etc. around the 'den' ,maintained alive...

I've always figured if it wasn't the apes, it would be the octopi to attain awareness. The dexterity of their extremities is a huge advantage as they can use tools. For instance, a coconut:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DoWdHOtlrk

..far out, blue_velvet, the octopoidian plot thickens!

..just wanted to add, in the original spirit of the posting, that
i saw a documentary on TV in which scubadivers allowed themselves to be hugged by large octopuses who would 'read' their emotions/feelings..if the divers remained calm & friendly, so too did the octopii..one diver described them as "shy/loving creatures"..
this particular species did colour change visual communication, and masked themselves with an inkjet if they wanted privacy ,or were in a bad mood...

(hope i can find a link...)

..they're apparently quite 'touchy/feely' creatures if you search octopus hug...

^^^
Terence McKenna was fond of mentioning that, not necessarily the 'touchy/feely' aspect, though he may have brought it up, but their visual method of communication.

I tried to find the doc (maybe it will turn up), but came short with only this to show for it:

"Oh, I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug 10 people at a time!” -Drew Barrymore

I believe she would have to be a squid.

blue_velvet wrote
..these aren't as good as the particular documentary i'm searching for, but here's a few clips/links...
man hugs smallish octopus
diver meets giant octopus
& http://smallsciencezines.blogsp...eting-giant-octopus.html

Whoa! That's some great footage.

Same thats amazing, just envisioned an octopus tending they're garden lol

..i just watched this one again..diver meets giant octopus
it's pretty groovy if you've never seen it..
still looking for the 'giant octopuses hug divers' one...

Octopuses are so intelligent, am almost sure there is some large connection between the octopi and life.

I wish we could change color and texture as a form of communication.

Doctor Mantus wrote
..yeah so do i, wouldn't it be cool..i think some hyperspace octopoids have tried to teach me to..
.

Maybe in the next life.

Hyperspace octopi i am sure it did it was probably trying to take you with him shoulda gone ;0