Like humans, cuttlefish can form complex memories
Remember that mouthwatering meal you had 20 years ago at that unforgettable restaurant? Old cuttlefish can remember that sort of thing, too. In a new study, researchers found the squid relative can recall the entire experience of its favorite meal—and, unlike in people, that ability gets better with age.
In human brains, some memories have more staying power than others. Recall of facts such as the location of the nearest grocery store or the date of the first Moon landing—what scientists call semantic memory—generally doesn’t fade with time. But we can also remember unique events in our own lives, which include not only where and when a thing happened, but also the specific sensations we experienced as it was happening. This “episodic memory” often dims over the years. Studies in jays, rats, and monkeys show they also have both kinds of memories. And 8 years ago, another animal joined the club: the cuttlefish.
To find out how cuttlefish memory might change over time, researchers first tested their semantic memory, or their recall of facts. Because they couldn’t ask the cephalopods about the first Moon landing, they tested them on something they could recall: where they got their food each day.
