Originally published at: New study: tiny brainless jellyfish somehow capable of forming of memories | Boing Boing
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Sheesh, why does BoingBoing devote so many articles like this to MTG and Bobert!?!
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What luck this has been detected in such a small neurological system. It may be possible to solve or simulate. It may be that memories are not what we think.
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… yeah but can you play DOOM on it 
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Box jellies are a fascinating enigma. There is some evidence that they are the first organism to branch off the evolutionary tree of “animal” and might have developed a central nervous system independently of all others. They use completely different neurotransmitter and the genes associated with their CNS have no correlate in other animal lineages. So their being able to function in unexpected ways might not be entirely shocking.
Edit: As pointed out by @chenille, I suffered a brain fart. My comments apply to comb jellies, not box jellies. Keeping squishy, brainless things straight is hard, man! 
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…they are exceedingly fast learners, scientists report in a recent study…
They can quickly form and retain memories about sensory information they receive from the environment and can adapt their behavior in response. The findings suggest that a “brain” is not as essential to learning as we thought.
– Nautilus
So… there’s hope for these dudes? 
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No, no there is not. The jellies are not actually brainless, they are differently brained. These asshats are, in fact, brainless.
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well… truth be told, i think it’s more of a sting than a shock
on a more serious note… that is really cool. 
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I tell ya, they keep sending the 20 oz. psilocybin seiten back.
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poor jelly!
also, mr. squid would have a word, too.
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Some (if not most) jellyfish are cool.
Irukanji on the other hand can fuck right off
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No, you’re thinking of comb jellies. Box jellies are Cnidaria, closely related to true jellyfish even, and presumably have the same neurotransmitters as them and anemones and so on.
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The first of these jellyfish, Carukia barnesi, was identified in 1964 by Jack Barnes; to prove it was the cause of Irukandji syndrome, he captured the tiny jellyfish and allowed it to sting him, his nine-year-old son and a robust young lifeguard. They all became seriously ill, but survived.
The younger Barnes, “Thanks, Dad.”
The Elder Barnes, “Science, son, science!”
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Ah, you are correct. Brain fart.
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Fooled me, I was sure Irukandji were box jellies. [Humble gruntles in peach jellyfish.]
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Those are box jellies, no mistake there. Just not the jellies with their own neurotransmitters that doc was talking about. 
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