A video from approximately 2011 that shows what was assumed to be a dead squid giving the impression of coming to life offers new information on the unique nature of the squid’s existence and postmortem abilities.
An unknown individual from Japan in the video is seen pouring soy sauce on a squid in what appears to be a Japanese delicacy. Instead of the sauce simply dripping down into the liquid, the squid appears to come to life by frantically flailing its tentacles.
Discovery’s Martin Berman explored this issue more closely by speaking with a professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia, Charles Grisham. The professor explained that the brain function is missing, but the tissues that remain are still alive and responding to simuli–in this case, the soy sauce.
The sauce itself has plenty of sodium chloride, which is potent enough to trigger movement from the squid due to the chemicals that make up the product being absorbed. In scientific terms, it changes the voltages across the membranes, which then triggers a muscle contraction.
According to Berman, muscles rely on a chemical named adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which lingers in organisms that have recently died. It stays there until rigor mortis sets in.
Those watching the video had a variety of reactions, mostly of a negative nature. Some registered disgust, while others indicated what was being done to the squid was inhumnae. Others used more colorful language to describe their feelings.