I was reading on the internet this week that Squid like the sound of music… or at least scientists think they do. I believe that what has actually been discovered is that music effects squid in much the same way it effects people. This should come as no surprise to us and I for one an amused that it has taken scientists so long to confirm what I have known for decades. Unfortunately, in this case, I learned that the researchers decided to play hip hop music to the squid, with the results that the squid broke out into an explosion of color, probably the same reaction I would have had if I had taken the squid's place!
The picture below is a close up of a squid's skin reaction.
According to the Backyard Brains website, the Longfin Inshore (a kind of squid) has "three different chromatophore colors: brown, red, and yellow. Each chromatophore has tiny muscles along the circumference of the cell that can contract to reveal the pigment underneath."
And the best way to demonstrate the changing colors: hip-hop. The researchers attached the cephalopod to an electrode hooked up to an iPod nano, and let rip the Cypress Hill tune "Insane in the Brain."
I fail to see how this discovery is in any way impressive, and I am annoyed at scientists for causing pain to those tiny little squid eardrums by forcing them to react to an obnoxious pulsing beat! I see this as just one more example of the wisdom found in nature, squid, like many other creatures, know enough to react to bad music. Scientists should know by now that the change in color in a squid means something is wrong and they are trying to adapt, or get away. Similar studies have been done on mice, with separate groups being forced to listen to different types of music. The end result was that the mice listening to Mozart were smarter, faster, and growing more so over time, while the mice being forced to listen to heavy metal soon began fighting and eating each other. I think that these scientists have been letting poor music effect their brain cells for too long, maybe they should spend some time in a sound proof room listening to Beethoven and Mozart.
If you would like to check out this article for yourself and draw your own conclusions, please check out:
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