Aliens Of The Sea

I read this article about a month ago, and it made me think. Essentially, they're taking one bit of actual scientific news (octopi have a unique and entirely different genetic DNA composition) and went wild with it (so they're aliens).

But... what if?

The first whole cephalopod genome sequence shows a striking level of complexity with 33,000 protein-coding genes identified – more than in a human.

Not only that, the octopus DNA is highly rearranged – like cards shuffled and reshuffled in a pack – containing numerous so-called “jumping genes” that can leap around the genome.

It changes from most modern movies where aliens are depicted as close relatives to insects, instead being far more complicated creatures.

Video Of The Week: Pearl Jam

The most perceptive ones among you will notice this is the second time Pearl Jam has made the Video Of The Week segment, the first time being for (perhaps) my favourite video ever, Do The Evolution.

This time around, Pearl Jam, ever timely in their ''political'' messages, takes a song about one of their favourite subjects (water, oceans, waves, see: Oceans, Given To Fly, Big Wave, Last Exit), adds beautiful imagery of the ocean, and ends it not just with a message to preserve them - but an actual call for help with images of the ever-current BP oil spill.

And it's a catchy tune, called Amongst The Waves, off Backspacer, their terrific 2009 record. If the image doesn't appear completely below, click here.