Octopus aliens—it’s a claim that refuses to die. A viral post points to a 296‑million‑year‑old fossil from the Mazon Creek beds and asks: how can an animal with three hearts, blue blood, shape‑shifting skin, and near‑alien intelligence be “from here”? Let’s test the idea against what researchers actually know—and the fringe claims that won’t go away. Ancient fossils: older than dinosaurs, still very Earthly The Mazon Creek specimen often cited online is Pohlsepia mazonensis. It’s late Carboniferous in age (~296 million years). Some early papers described it as octopus‑like. Later work cautioned that its affinities are uncertain. In other words, it’s intriguing but not a slam‑dunk “first octopus.” More decisive evidence arrived in 2022: paleontologists described Syllipsimopodi bideni, a vampyropod (the group that includes octopuses and vampire squid) dated to ~328 million years. It had ten arms—suggesting modern octopuses lost two over time. That pushes the lineage deep into Earth’s history, long before dinosaurs, but still squarely terrestrial. Why octopuses feel “alien” (and why that matters) Three hearts & blue blood: Octopuses pump copper‑based hemocyanin, which carries oxygen efficiently in cold, low‑oxygen seas. Hence the blue blood. Two hearts feed the gills; one drives systemic circulation. Distributed brains: Roughly two‑thirds of their neurons live in the arms. Each arm can process information and make local decisions. Intelligence evolved along a very different path than ours. Next‑level camouflage: Chromatophores, iridophores, and muscles in the skin let them switch colors, patterns, and textures in milliseconds. It’s instant cloaking with biological pixels. Tool use & problem‑solving: Veined octopuses have been filmed carrying coconut shells to build portable shelters. Others open jars, remember puzzle solutions, and recognize individual humans. RNA editing: the “software patch” in their nerves Here’s a twist that fuels the “octopus aliens” meme. In vertebrates, genes are mostly copied straight from DNA to proteins. Octopuses often edit their RNA between those steps, especially in the nervous system. Editing can tweak ion channels and other brain‑critical proteins to match temperature or environmental change—without rewriting DNA. Key point: researchers found a trade‑off. Heavy RNA editing may slow long‑term DNA evolution, but it gives octopuses fast, flexible “software updates.” That’s wild biology, not proof of extraterrestrials. About that 2018 “they came from space” paper In 2018, a group of authors suggested—speculatively—that octopus traits might reflect panspermia (genes or embryos arriving via comets). The paper grabbed headlines. Most biologists rejected it. There’s no direct evidence for alien seeding. The normal evolutionary record—fossils, anatomy, and genomes—explains octopus origins far better. So… are “octopus aliens” real? Biologically, no. Octopuses evolved here, over hundreds of millions of years. Functionally, they feel alien because they represent a separate experiment in intelligence: decentralized control, extreme sensory skin, and rapid neural “recompiles.” If we ever meet non‑human minds off‑world, they may resemble octopuses more than us. Watch the science (2 short, high‑impact videos) Bottom line Octopuses are proof that nature can build very different minds. That’s why they feel unearthly. The evidence says they’re not aliens—but they’re the best model we have for how alien intelligence might look. Sources: Nature Communications (2022) – Syllipsimopodi bideni, oldest definitive vampyropod Smithsonian – Three hearts, blue blood, intelligence overview Cell (2017) – Trade‑off between transcriptome plasticity & genome evolution in coleoids Nature (2015) – The octopus genome and cephalopod neural novelties Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. (2024) – Dynamic skin behaviors in cephalopods Progress in Biophysics & Mol. Biology (2018) – Panspermia hypothesis (controversial) LiveScience – Why octopuses aren’t aliens (critique of 2018 paper) Natural History Museum – Ten‑armed ancestor & octopus evolution The post Octopus Aliens: Fossils, RNA Tricks & What Science Says appeared first on Anomalien.com.