The ocean is an area on the earth that has been vastly unexplored,
We learn lots of fascinating things about it as we slowly march forward in our pursuit of knowledge.
Here is something that I think is very interesting and may even affect the future of modern treatments to come.
It has been discovered that some cephalopods, specifically squids and octopi, can change their R.N.A structure in order to adapt to certain situations.
Now, R.N.A is sort of like the ‘go between’ the messenger between D.N.A, and cells.
So this means, that somehow, by some mechanism that researchers have not yet understood.
They can directly communicate with R.N.A to get proteins and cells made in response to different situations.
These proteins etc, are not part of their normal programming.
Hypothetically an example could be, they ate something mildly toxic. By some mechanism they may be able to create an counteractive agent for the toxin and neutralize it in their body.
What this means is that they can adapt and create new functions, while still keeping the DNA mostly the same.
This could prove to be a far safer approach to genetic treatments than what is currently available.
You can check out the links below for more information.
Octopus And Squid Evolution Is Officially Weirder Than We Could Have Ever Imagined
Octopuses, Squid, and Cuttlefish: RNA Editing Instead of Genome Evolution?