Scientists claim octopuses may have the skills to build the next civilization if humans disappear. Octopuses building civilization: an eight-armed leap into humanity’s absence—who knew suction cups could spell utopia?

Imagine shimmering “Octopolis” enclaves dotting the seafloor, where coconut-shell dwellings cluster near hydrothermal vents and octopus “engineers” use tidal energy to power intricate hunting traps. The viral science debate: could these crafty cephalopods outwit extinction itself?