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Can an octopus learn piano? Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on November 23, 2025, 3:54 pm ADMIN It is a cheesy presentation. But it raises the question, can Tako learn to play a specific sequence of notes to get a crab? He just plays random notes. But at least he plays. Can he learn a "melody?" You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony

Amazing! Very cheesy, yeah, but it was rewarding to watch his progress. Posted by Sia on November 23, 2025, 8:54 pm, in reply to "Can an octopus learn piano?" ADMIN Tako tried to eat the guy's fingers several times, so I don't think they really had a "relationship" as he seems to suggest. Still he managed to find the motivation that inspires an octopus so that's a big deal! Clearly, it wasn't wishful thinking, Tako did play the notes to get the crab so he was responding like an intelligent creature, not a creature acting only on instinct. It would be amazing if he played a song, but the fact that he played any notes at all is pretty damn cool too!

Next steps Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on November 24, 2025, 7:12 pm, in reply to "Amazing! Very cheesy, yeah, but it was rewarding to watch his progress." ADMIN I contacted Matthias with an idea to really determine if Tako is learning music demonstrated by piano. He presses keys to lower the crab reward. So far its random. I proposed to move the crab to specific keys. First one. Tako can only get the crab if he presses the correct key. When a second key is added, then Tako must recognise a sequence. He must press the two correct keys in sequence. How far can that sequence go? Three notes? Now he has a motif. If he can play piano in correct sequences, then not only is he learning music, maybe we can measure it. Can he learn a melody? Might help to put a crab decal on the crab key, so he associates the decal with the crab. Two decals for the two key sequence. If flat decals don't work, maybe 3-D decals glued to the correct keys would. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony

Interesting!!! I hope it works! Posted by Sia on November 24, 2025, 7:58 pm, in reply to "Next steps" ADMIN

Octopi are smart! Posted by greenman on November 23, 2025, 5:27 pm, in reply to "Can an octopus learn piano?" Valued Poster I saw a feature a few years ago about their abilities..unscrewing jar lids to get into the jar and eat food? They're not dumb! RESIST!

Smart and alien Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on November 24, 2025, 7:21 pm, in reply to "Octopi are smart!" Evolution is a product of a split from a common ancestor in response to change in environment. Following that sequence backward to DNA itself, and the organic compounds that make up DNA, we assume that common compound ancestor was terrestrial. What if terrestrial DNA came from organic compounds in comets during the Hadean bombardment? That suggests our organic compound origins may not be terrestrial, but from space, and it might explain why DNA is so different in molluscs, compared to insects, compared with reptiles, compared with mammals. Could our human fascination and desire with space be in fact, a longing to "return home?" You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony

Fascinating ideas! Posted by Sia on November 24, 2025, 8:12 pm, in reply to "Smart and alien" ADMIN

Pluto has an ocean of tholins Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on November 25, 2025, 12:42 am, in reply to "Fascinating ideas!" ADMIN So does Europa and Titan. They were found in the comet ice on which ESA NASA landed a probe. Rosetta's Philae lander successfully made the first soft landing on a comet nucleus when it touched down on Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014. Tholins are organic compounds and building blocks of amino acids. Chains of amino acids form from tholins when exposed to UV light, or electrocomagnetism. Terrestrial bombardment by comets during the Hadean are responsible for terrestrial water. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony

Really? Very cool! Posted by Sia on November 25, 2025, 1:44 am, in reply to "Pluto has an ocean of tholins" ADMIN

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