Beautiful Science

Revealing yet another superpower in the squid, scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory in the United States have discovered that the squid massively edits its genetic instructions not only within the nucleus of its neurons but also within the
Revealing yet another superpower in the squid. PHOTO: ELAINE BEARER

Revealing yet another superpower in the squid, scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory in the United States have discovered that the squid massively edits its genetic instructions not only within the nucleus of its neurons but also within the axon - the long, slender neural projections that transmit electrical impulses to other neurons.

This is the first time that edits to genetic information have been observed outside the nucleus of an animal cell.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 28, 2020, with the headline Beautiful Science. Subscribe