Scientists gave octopuses MDMA... and they started dancing and touching others.

[DetlefK]

https://gizmodo.com/scientists-gave-mdma-to-octopuses-and-what-happened-was-1829191638

After hanging out in a bath containing ecstasy, the animals moved to a chamber with three rooms to pick from: a central room, one containing a male octopus and another containing a toy. This is a setup frequently used in mice studies. Before MDMA, the octopuses avoided the male octopus. But after the MDMA bath, they spent more time with the other octopus, according to the study published in Current Biology. They also touched the other octopus in what seemed to be an exploratory, rather than aggressive, manner.

"Whoa, dude! Can I touch your face? I'm gonna touch your face."

But yes, the octopuses acted like they took ecstasy. At first, when they received a little too much MDMA, they breathed erratically and turned white. But on lower doses, one animal “looked like it was doing water ballet,” swimming around with outstretched arms. Another spent part of the time doing flips, and another seemed especially interested in minor sounds and smells.

"Have you guys ever tasted the water? I mean, REALLY tasted the water?"

[Canoe52]

1. Only tried it twice many decades ago, it was a most wonderful experience.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Confirmed: If You Give an Octopus MDMA, It Will Get All Cuddly

By Brandon Specktor, Senior Writer | September 20, 2018 02:51pm ET

If you give an octopus some Molly, it'll probably ask for a cuddle.

That's what a pair of scientists were hoping would happen, anyway, when they devised an experiment to test the effects of MDMA — also known as the psychoactive drug ecstasy or "Molly" — on octopuses.

The goal of this peculiar study, published today (Sept. 20) in the journal Current Biology, wasn't just to see if octopuses could get high (spoiler: they sure can), but also to probe the evolutionary history of octopus behavior. Octopuses are known for being solitary, sometimes surly creatures, with one big exception — when it's time to mate. According to the new study authors, this behavioral shift suggests that octopuses may have some neural mechanism that suppresses antisocial behavior and amplifies sexual urges when love (or at least reproduction) is in the air. [8 Crazy Facts About Octopuses]

Incidentally, similar shifts in sociability are seen in humans who have taken MDMA. That's because MDMA is an amphetamine that increases the production of several mood-regulating neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin — a chemical that helps regulate happiness, appetite and sleep. Humans high on MDMA tend to be more social, more energetic, more empathetic and more euphoric than they were in their sober state. (There are also many negative, sometimes permanent health effects.)

More:
https://www.livescience.com/63636-octopus-gets-high-on-mdma.html?utm_source=notification

[Javaman]

3. reminds me of this...