Octopus RNA-editing capability sparks "alien DNA" discussion online
A Bluesky post about octopuses' ability to alter their genetic code while alive ignites debate over the creatures' intelligence and moral status.
What to know
- A viral post claimed octopuses can alter their DNA while alive, unlike other animals, dubbing it "alien DNA"—but scientific correction notes they edit RNA (messenger RNA) for temperature adaptation, not permanent DNA mutation.
- The post sparked ethical debate: multiple commenters argued octopuses' cognitive complexity makes farming and consumption morally indefensible.
- Responses ranged from scientific fact-checking to playful speculation about octopus intelligence and extraterrestrial origins, with broad admiration for the creatures' adaptability.
The dispute The core contention is whether the post's "alien DNA" framing is scientifically valid or a misleading exaggeration of RNA editing and gene expression mechanisms. · positions read across 62 posts and comments
Octopuses are extraordinarily intelligent and complex; we should stop farming and eating them for ethical reasons.
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“We should not hunt them or farm them or eat them. FULL STOP!!!”
jjj8819.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
The post's "alien DNA" framing is inaccurate; octopuses edit RNA for gene expression, not mutate their permanent genome—this is evolution, not extraterrestrial biology.
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“They don't change their DNA, they edit their RNA. And that isn't evolution but gene expression.”
wimgmeijer.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Octopuses may be alien, superior to humans, or more intelligent than we recognize—the post reflects genuine wonder at their cognitive and biological sophistication.
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“They are superior to humans. He is changing, not on,y color but, texture. And at times reverts to his " regular" color. Almost as if he is playing with his abilities.”
joiksinger.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
blabalino.com Bluesky poster
How it unfolded 4 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments
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4
Commenters express awe at octopus intelligence and adaptability
Users post admiring commentary on octopus cognitive abilities, camouflage, and color-changing abilities, with some suggesting they may be superior to humans or extraterrestrial in origin.
“They are superior to humans. He is changing, not on,y color but, texture. And at times reverts to his " regular" color. Almost as if he is playing with his abilities.”
— joiksinger.bsky.social -
Please don’t eat them!! Plzzzz don’t frequent restaurants who have them on the menu. 👍❤️
2 more of the top 3 · 50 posts in this stretch
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And if you haven't seen it, you guys have to see this one that I saw on here a while ago. It's only "up to" INCH long as an adult!
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Wish we could focus more research on cool stuff like this rather than the bs 1%ers want to destroy the world with
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Commenters debate the accuracy of "alien DNA" framing
Users begin correcting the post's terminology, noting that octopuses edit RNA rather than permanently mutate DNA, and that this is gene expression rather than evolution. Some reject the "alien" framing as unscientific.
“They don't change their DNA, they edit their RNA. And that isn't evolution but gene expression.”
— wimgmeijer.bsky.social -
They are superior to humans. He is changing, not on,y color but, texture. And at times reverts to his “ regular” color. Almost as if he is playing with his abilities.
2 more of the top 3 · 7 posts in this stretch
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I would rather just have a working democracy
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One day, in the far future, we'll use their DNA and others to augment our own, so we can adapt instantly to alien environments as we sail among the stars. Or they'll inherit the Earth and eventually leave to colonize space. Hooray for octopi!
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Commenters call for halt to octopus farming and consumption
Multiple Bluesky users respond to the post by arguing octopuses should not be hunted, farmed, or eaten, citing their cognitive complexity.
“We should not hunt them or farm them or eat them. FULL STOP!!!”
— jjj8819.bsky.social -
We should not hunt them or farm them or eat them. FULL STOP!!!
2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
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I always thought they were different and interesting, but only in fairly recent years, as I've read more about them in a few different aspects, I'm just amazed by them.
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Amazing posting. Thank you for sharing it
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Blabalino posts about octopus DNA complexity and somatic gene editing
A Bluesky post claims octopus DNA is uniquely complex and can change while they are alive, unlike other animals that evolve through generations, linking to a scientific paper and framing the phenomenon as evidence of "alien DNA."
“Octopus DNA is so complex, scientists still don't understand it. While all other animals on earth evolve through multiple generations, octopus DNA can change while they are alive.”
— blabalino.com -
B
Octopus DNA is so complex, scientists still don't understand it. While all other animals on earth evolve through multiple generations, octopus DNA can change while they are alive. This started the talk about octopus "alien DNA". Scientific paper below the video.
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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Let me know if you can't access this paper and I'll screenshot some parts. #science
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What people are saying 12 voices from 1 site · best of 62 · verbatim
- How does octopus RNA editing compare mechanistically to other adaptive gene expression in nature?
- What are the ethical and practical implications of octopus farming if they possess the cognitive complexity commenters attribute to them?
- Sep 15
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What we don't know about the world around us is breathtaking in scope and scale.
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So, it wasn't the mice running the experiments at all!
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Oh, I understand it and I know this... is false. Instead of changing their permanent DNA, octopuses can recode their messenger RNA. This lets them adapt proteins in their nervous system for different water temperatures. p.s. it's autonomous, they don't say "time to reprogram the old proteins"
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Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re from another planet, dropped off millennia ago. And, cats too. 
- Sep 14
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I, for one, welcome our 🐙 overlords. They can't be any worse than who's running this shit show now.
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While cool, there should be no talk of "alien DNA" here especially when their genome is "broadly similar to that found across invertebrate bilaterians" except for two gene families "previously thought to be uniquely enlarged in vertebrates." That isn't aliens, that's just evolution.
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Little shows our stupidity quite like dismissing the octopus as a “mere invertebrate” because its intelligence looks nothing like our own and then declaring ourselves superior because we fail to understand it.
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Was about to comment inhumane, but considering they are more evolved that is probably an insult.
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These are only the species we know about. Keep in mind that we know more about the moon and Mars than we know about the depths of our oceans. Weird, right?
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They make the Chameleon look like an amateur.
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The chromatophores make for such wild displays and camouflage. They are amazing.
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I wish we could develop that kind of camo for immigrants.