The Editor of Itself

On the sixth morning, Chiara made coffee. She sat by the tank with Polly.

Šestog jutra, Chiara je skuhala kavu. Sjedila je kraj akvarija s Polly.

Pasta was hanging upside down. Her body pulsed slowly. Her arms drifted.

Pasta je visjela naopako. Njeno tijelo polako je pulsiralo. Ruke su joj lepršale.

"I want to tell you one more thing," Chiara said. "It is the strangest thing I know about octopuses."

"Želim ti reći još nešto," rekla je Chiara. "To je najčudnija stvar koju znam o hobotnicama."

DNA is the long-term plan of an animal. RNA is the working copy.

DNK je dugoročni plan životinje. RNK je radna kopija.

In most animals, the RNA matches the DNA. But in octopuses, the RNA does not match. The cell rewrites parts of the RNA as it makes it. Most of the edits happen in the nervous system.

Kod većine životinja, RNK odgovara DNK. Ali kod hobotnica, RNK ne odgovara. Stanica prepravlja dijelove RNK dok je stvara. Većina izmjena događa se u živčanom sustavu.

"Why?" Chiara said. "It lets the octopus change its nervous system. It can tune its own brain to the water temperature or to its food."

"Zašto?" rekla je Chiara. "To omogućuje hobotnici da promijeni svoj živčani sustav. Može prilagoditi svoj mozak temperaturi vode ili hrani."

Pasta drifted. Her skin near the eyes turned soft pink and brown.

Pasta je lepršala. Koža blizu očiju postala je nježno ružičasta i smeđa.

"Each octopus is a slightly different animal," Chiara said. "Same DNA. But the working machinery is built fresh, for that water and that food."

"Svaka hobotnica je malo drugačija životinja," rekla je Chiara. "Ista DNK. Ali radni mehanizam je svjež, prilagođen toj vodi i toj hrani."

Polly thought about her own brain. It was hers. She did not want it to change. But she liked knowing that animals like Pasta existed.

Polly je razmišljala o svom mozgu. Bio je njen. Nije željela da se mijenja. Ali joj se sviđalo znati da postoje životinje poput Paste.