Dorset, UK (Strutts News Services) – British scientists on an after-hours bender decided that the world needs to know if octopi are ambidextrous or prefer one tentacle over the rest. The problem was to decide on a procedure.
“If they’re so bloody smart, LET’S GIVE THE SLIMY BASTARDS RUBIK’S CUBES!” blurted one, and after another round of scrumpy, the panel agreed.
Once they recovered from their collective hangovers, they collected 25 octopi and 25 Rubik’s Cubes and let the games begin. Scientist Bonnie Phumph of the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, Dorset, remarked, “It’ll be very interesting to see the results,” apparently referring to the government research grant money.
No news yet on the success of the cephalopod subjects’ cerebral solutions, although an early leaked report indicates that two of the tentacled brainiacs peeled off the colored labels in frustration, and a third dismantled its Cube and cracked the smaller cubes into fragments.
[Image and original story from here. Related posts here, here and here.]
Tags: cephalopod, Experiment, handedness, octopus, Rubik's Cube, UK
Sunday, 17 August 2008 at 12:19 AM
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