Uplifting octupi: when and where?

Twink (neptune@mars.superlink.net)
Wed, 19 Nov 1997 06:15:45 -0500 (EST)


At 10:48 AM 11/18/97 -0800, Warrl kyree Tale'sedrin <warrl@blarg.net>wrote:
>> > Increasing the amount of effort and time to growing a larger brain
>> > in, say, octopi, might be a good start.
>
>The adults of the Pacific giant octopus already have
>impressively large brains.

So I've heard.:) Anyway, from what I've read/seen, their brains are divided up
a bit. Prima facie, it would seem there are multiple lobes which are somewhat
independent -- which is akin to neural ganglia in insects. (Still, the octupus'
brain is much larger and more complex and centralized than the insect one.
IF an insect's brain can really be compared here. They are so decentralized
that their brains are more like merely the biggest ganglia -- not at all
like our
brains.) So, in this case, the thing to do might be to increase the
connections
between lobes.

Of course, I am assuming here that more connections = smarts.

>And octopi. Take an octopus who has never seen a glass jar. Put a
>lobster in a glass jar with a screw-on lid -- an ordinary mayonnaise
>jar will work if it's a small enough lobster. Toss the jar in with
>the octopus. Within about five minutes, the jar is open (not
>broken, open) and so is the lobster.

I've seen this on TV. It does show that they have a lot of potential. (I
wonder
how many humans would pass?:) It would also be exciting to uplift them since
they are so different from us. I imagine the ideas/experiences they/we could
share would be fantastic/near-mind-shattering to us/them.

Now the thing to do would be to find out how easy they are to breed, raise,
and handle. I'm sure out of all the species mentioned thusfar, they will be
the cheapest/easiest to procure/maintain/uplift.

Also, we probably won't have to worry about meddling preservationist or
retro-thinker types. In other words, we can meddle in peace.:)

Imagine: we can have a real transhuman project completed in less than a
decade -- not an armchair fantasy/mutual mental masturbation but the real
thing.

Cheers!

Daniel Ust