US scientists discover clue of origins of vision
14:51, 13 March 2010
WASHINGTON. March 13. KAZINFORM. By studying the hydra, a member of an ancient group of sea creatures that is still flourishing, scientists at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have made a discovery in understanding the origins of human vision, the university said in a press release; Kazinform refers to China Daily.
The finding was published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a British journal of biology.
"We determined which genetic 'gateway,' or ion channel, in the hydra is involved in light sensitivity," said senior author Todd H. Oakley, assistant professor in UCSB's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology.
"This is the same gateway that is used in human vision."
Oakley explained that there are many genes involved in vision, and that there is an ion channel gene responsible for starting the neural impulse of vision. This gene controls the entrance and exit of ions; i.e., it acts as a gateway; Kazinform cites China Daily.