Natural history fans in Canada and the UK have two new ways to learn about cephalopod intelligence this weekend. (Sorry, US readers!) In a funny coincidence, segments we produced with marine biologist Roger Hanlon for two different broadcasters will both air over the weekend.
In Canada, tune into CTV’s flagship news show W5 on Saturday, March 20 at 7pm (Central Time) for an investigation into SETI, or the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. We worked with W5 producers to film an interview with Dr. Hanlon about how signs of cuttlefish and octopus intelligence might aid this quest.
In the UK, get ready for the “con artists” episode of Chris Packham’s “Animal Einsteins” on BBC 2, at 7pm GMT on Sunday, March 21. Each episode in this series looks at how animal life— from crows to bees and dogs— is full of genius. Our segment with Dr. Hanlon takes a deep dive into cephalopod intelligence, which recently made headlines for passing the “marshmallow test.” Jaw-dropping footage off shape-shifting cuttlefish and crafty octopi show how these marine marvels use camouflage to survive and thrive.
Whenever these segments are available to watch online, we’ll add them here. If you just can’t wait to see what the fuss is about, have a look at another video we produced about Dr. Hanlon’s work— and the legacy of marine neuroscience at the Marine Biological Laboratory that he is part of!
