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How starfish control tube feet without a central nervous system or brain

  • January 26, 2026 at 5:44 PM
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How starfish control tube feet without a central nervous system or brain
Starfish, also known as sea stars, are equipped with an almost alien-like anatomy. Despite lacking a brain, blood, and central nervous system, these odd creatures still have locomotive abilities. The structure of their many flexible tube feet has been well-studied, but it is still unclear exactly how they function without a brain and central nervous system. But a new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that starfish seem to employ a local mechanical feedback system to get around.

Originally published at Phys.org

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