Here’s one of the weirder things I’ve come across in biology. When lamp shells are just tiny 36-hour-old embryos–just a clump of a few hundred cells–they can see. Many cells on their outer surface express a photoreceptor gene, and they show evidence of being able to swim towards light. In other words, these lamp shells are swimming eyeballs.
Aside from the surrealism, this discovery is also cool because it might be a model for how our own eyes evolved. Perhaps they started out in a similar way. For more details, check out my story in today’s New York Times.
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Animals
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Environment
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History & Culture
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- See how ancient Indigenous artists left their markSee how ancient Indigenous artists left their mark
- Why Passover is one of Judaism’s most important holidaysWhy Passover is one of Judaism’s most important holidays
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- The surprising story of how chili crisp took over the worldThe surprising story of how chili crisp took over the world
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Science
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- 4 herbal traditions used every day, all over the world4 herbal traditions used every day, all over the world
- Ground-level ozone is getting worse - here's what that meansGround-level ozone is getting worse - here's what that means
- Would your dog eat you if you died? Get the facts.
- Science
- Gory Details
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Travel
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