Brittle Stars Can Learn Just Fine -- Even Without a Brain

<div class="wp-block-dt-story-meta-plus-text"><p>DURHAM, N.C. -- We humans are fixated on big brains as a proxy for smarts. But headless animals called brittle stars have no brains at all and still manage to learn through experience, <a href="https://rdcu.be/drHJO">new research</a> reveals.</p><p>Relatives of starfish, brittle stars spend most of their time hiding under rocks and crevices in the ocean or burrowing in the sand.</p><p>These shy marine creatures have no brain to speak of -- just nerve cords running down each of their five wiggly arms</p></div>