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Science in Harlem:
Cuttlefish Brains

November 12th, 2020

How do scientists study brains? What can we learn about brains from a marine animal like a cuttlefish!? 🐙🤔
Next Thursday on the Student Town Hall we will be bringing you Science from Harlem! Neuroscientist, Dr. Tessa Montague, will be showing off her cuttlefish lab at Columbia Zuckerman Institute and answering YOUR questions! Send in any questions you have about studying brains, cuttlefish, or the science of camouflage! www.biobus.org/townhall (http://www.biobus.org/townhall)

Guest Speakers

Dr. Tessa Montague

Neuroscientist

Dr. Tessa Montague is a neuroscientist, which means she studies brains — but not just any brains! In her laboratory at The Columbia Zuckerman Institute in Harlem, Tessa studies the remarkable camouflage behavior of the CUTTLEFISH. Cuttlefish are ocean animals related to octopuses and squids that use their brains to change colors!

Question Index

1. 9:09 - What is a cuttlefish? Is it a fish because of the name? 2. 12:24 - How big are cuttlefish? 3. 14:12 - How does a cuttlefish survive? What does it do? 4. 17:22 - What is a cuttlefish and how smart is it? 5. 20:16 - What do cuttlefish eat, and how do they eat it? 6. 24:30 - How do they change color? 7. 26:42 - Can they squirt ink? 8. 28:32 - How big is a cuttlefish brain? What does a cuttlefish brain do? 9. 30:33 - What do [cuttlefish] have in their brain? And how does it work? 10. 34:12 - What part of the brain does the cuttlefish use the most? 11. 35:11 - How do [scientists] study the [cuttlefish] brain? 12. 37:16 - How big do cuttlefish get? How long do they live? 13. 39:57 - What is the difference between a human and a cuttlefish brain?Why is the cuttlefish brain useful for us to learn more about our [own] brains? 14. 43:26 - Is the brain of the cuttlefish [the thing] that allows camouflage? Is there a certain part of the brain that changes the chromatophores to help with camouflage? 15. 45:54 - How many colors can a cuttlefish be? 16. 48:28 - Do they have suction cups like an octopus does? 17. 49:55 - Can they ever run out of ink? 18. 50:37 - Can they stretch their bodies? 19. 52:45 - What is the social structure of the cuttlefish like?
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