"No Oxygen? No Problem!" Says Squid That Can Shut Down Its Metabolism

If you've ever described your daily routine as leaving a comfortable place and going somewhere nearly incompatible with life, you were probably exaggerating how bad your job is. A Humboldt squid wouldn't be exaggerating. It spends its days in areas of the ocean with what should be fatally low oxygen levels. To survive, it cranks down its metabolism. Scientists are now beginning to understand how it pulls off this trick, which is more impressive than fixing the office printer. Dosidicus gigas, the Humboldt squid, is also called the "jumbo squid" for reasons that are obvious if you're face-to-face with one. Individuals can be six feet long. They're aggressive hunters that sometimes attack divers and can turn bright red when provoked. They reside in the Eastern Pacific, where they make a daily vertical commute: they spend nights hunting near the surface, and during the day they sink 300 meters or so. ...