A new study suggests that the 3D organization of DNA may explain how octopuses and their relatives evolved such complex brains.

The research, published in Nature Communications, looked at genome reorganization in coleoid cephalopods, the group that includes octopuses, squid and cuttlefish.

Scientists found that flexible regions of the genome were particularly affected by large-scale changes in DNA organization. These changes may have played a key role in the emergence of their unusually complex nervous systems.

The findings challenge the idea that genome architecture is just a passive result of evolution. Instead, the 3D structure of DNA appears to actively shape how evolution unfolds.

Cephalopods are famous for their intelligence, problem-solving and camouflage. Understanding how their brains evolved could offer clues about the evolution of complex nervous systems in general."" The team used advanced sequencing to map the genome in three dimensions. Similar techniques could reveal how other complex traits evolved. The study opens new questions about the relationship between DNA structure and intelligence.