Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment → Animals

How humans and squids came to have similar eyes

livia rusu by livia rusu
May 6, 2014
in Animals, Genetics

Humans and squids are not exactly close relatives – as a matter of fact, we’re really different from squids, so how come we came to have surprisingly similar eyes? The answer, as usually, is in our genes.

Eyes are complicated things – and like all organs, they rely on many genes working together, keeping everything fit and tight. Most of the genes involved in making the eye read like a parts list – this gene makes this, and that gene makes that. But, like in any orchestra, you need someone to direct and tell the others what to do – the same goes for genes. That gene here is called PAX6.

Like all genes, PAX6 works sort of like an instruction code, written in DNA language. In order for it to work, it first has to be translated into a different code, which is RNA. The interesting thing is that RNA can be edited – things can be added, things can be removed, and more interestingly, things can be spliced – that is, removing a piece from the middle of the code, and stitching the two ends together. Due to this editing, sometimes RNA sequences can become identical following different paths.

Such is the case with the human eye. In a new study, Atsushi Ogura at the Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology and colleagues found that Pax6 RNA splicing has led to the development of a camera eye in a surprising lineage which occurs in the cephalopods – a group which includes squid, cuttlefish, and octopus. The fact that the gene can be found in cephalopods, mammals and birds shows that the gene developed before the diversification. It’s remarkable that it reached such similarities through different paths, so that an organisms like humans and cephalopods have similar eyes, after hundreds of millions of years of parallel evolution.

Source.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Skunk marijuana has chemical compounds similar to garlic, which explains the similar odor
  2. World’s oldest eye found in a fossil in Estonia is very similar to today’s eyes
  3. All giant squids are just one species
  4. Giant squids filmed by Japanese researchers – for the first time in their own habitat
  5. Manipulative female squids consume sperm for nutrition

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW