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comment by alpha0
alpha0  ·  4832 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Where is the octopus?
I'm pretty sure I already saw something like this published by an MIT lab. I'll go looking for it.

> Their camouflage is in our brains more than it is in the world

Remember the field of consciousness I mentioned a while back?





mk  ·  4831 days ago  ·  link  ·  
>Remember the field of consciousness I mentioned a while back?

I do. And I don't write it off. Why is voice communication any less magical than telepathy? An organ in my head communicates with an organ in yours by indirectly vibrating the gases between us in a pattern. Or by these marks. Isn't that a field of consciousness in a sense? Anyone standing in it is potentiated by my message, and maybe in multiple ways at once!

That octopus is influencing my brain, and I don't even know how. My guess is that it is hacking my circuitry by taking advantage of a processing weakness. Brain hacking. I bet we are going to start doing this in our life time. I know we are already to an extent, but I mean I think we will begin to do so in a very aggressive manner. Scary thought.

But, I think that you suggest something more subtle and expansive/intrinsic?

alpha0  ·  4831 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Here is a thought experiment (as it is not very practical):

Attempt to evolve a mutation of the octopus that is subject to predators with unusual band sensory apparatus (e.g. infra-red).

Would mind hacking continue or is the octopus rendered defenseless?

mk  ·  4831 days ago  ·  link  ·  
My guess is that the octopus would be defenseless. That is, unless the octopus is taking advantage of a process where the infrared and 'visible' spectrum were dealt with similarly; i.e. if the visual cortex was agnostic to absolute wavelength. -I doubt the octopus can modulate it's heat signature as it does its reflection. But heat radiates pretty poorly in water anyway. :)

Many fish use electroreception. I have to wonder if the octopus can't create some sort of similar electrical field camoflauge as well.