Death and the Octopus

In octopuses, longevity is controlled by a part of the nervous system, the optic glands, which trigger death after reproduction. Though this phenomenon has been referenced by cephalopod biologists since at least the beginning of the 20th century, how and why this happens has only recently begun to come into focus. In this talk, I highlight recent advances in our understanding of death and dying in the octopus and preview some of our new work on the octopus vestibular system.

Yan Wang is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Biology at the University of Washington, Seattle. She is a neuroscientist interested in the evolutionary and social dimensions of senescence. Yan completed her postdoctoral work at Princeton University, studying the effects of social isolation on the brains and behaviors of bumblebees, and her graduate work at the University of Chicago, investigating the molecular neuroendocrinology of maternal behaviors and death in the octopus. She uses emerging invertebrate model systems to investigate how the nervous system organizes, encodes, and mediates end-of-life transitions and death. Her work uses multiple high-dimensional omics, behavioral, and molecular approaches to uncover fundamental rules about the aging nervous system.

11:50 am- Snacks & Socializing
noon- Talk Begins