Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Scientists have sorted genome of the elusive “vampire” squid From Hell” provides insight, for the first time Origin of cephalopods like octopus,
it is the biggest cephalopod genome More than 11 billion DNA base molecules have been sequenced to date, twice as large as the largest known squid genome And four times larger than the human genome.
researchers found mysterious deep sea creature Parts of an ancient species remained intact, suggesting that its modern octopus cousins also evolved from squid-like ancestors.
The species has been dubbed due to its black body, large eyes that appear red or blue, and a cloak-like membrane between its arms Vampyroteuthis infernalisLiterally “vampire squid from hell”. As the name suggests, it does not suck blood, but peacefully eats organic waste matter.
Despite being classified as an octopus, the vampire squid has characteristics similar to those of a squid and cuttlefish.
To understand how the species originated, scientists at the National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, Japan decoded its genome, and compared it to the genomes of other cephalopods, such as the pelagic octopus, to trace the direction of changes in its DNA over evolutionary time.
The findings helped reconstruct and analyze a major chapter in cephalopod evolution.
“Modern” cephalopods split into two major lineages about 300 million years ago: the eight-armed Octopodiformes, Like octopus And the vampire squid, and the one with ten arms decapodiformes Like squid and cuttlefish.
While the vampire squid has eight arms like the octopus, it shares key genomic features with squid and cuttlefish, occupying an intermediate position between these lineages.
“The vampire squid sits right at the interface between an octopus and a squid,” said Oleg Simakov, senior author of the study published in. iScience. ,“Its genome reveals deep evolutionary mysteries about how two completely different lineages could emerge from a common ancestor.”
“Although it is classified as an octopus, the vampire squid retains a genetic heritage that predates both lineages. This gives us a first-hand look at the early stages of cephalopod evolution,” said Emese Toth, another author of the study from the university. Vienna,
Analysis of the genome revealed that the common ancestor of both octopuses and squid was more squid-like than previously thought. Scientists said that at some point this ancestor underwent a large-scale reorganization of the genome, contributing to the remarkable diversity of modern cephalopods.