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Record response to call for new astronauts
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 12 (UPI) -- Humans and an ancient group of sea creatures known as hydras share a gene that aids in vision, scientists in California said.
Hydras, along with jellyfish, belong to a group of simple animals known as cnidarians, which first emerged 600 million years ago, said Todd Oakley, who teaches ecology, evolution and marine biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Oakley and his team determined the gene called opsin is shared by humans and hydras in controlling the entrance and exit of ions involved in light sensitivity.
The findings, which provide clues to the origins of human vision, were published in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a British journal of biology.
The findings illustrate how all organisms, including humans, are a complex mix of ancient and new characteristics, Oakley said.
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UPI horoscopes for Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.
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