Post by L Roebuck on Jan 29, 2008 19:32:07 GMT -5
Blind Cavefish Not So Blind After All
By Charles Q. Choi, Live Science, Fox News
Blind cavefish whose eyes have withered away may not be so blind after all.
Instead, a light-sensitive organ in their brains can detect light, research now reveals.
The blind cave-dwelling form of the Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) evolved from surface-dwelling ancestors whose eyes degenerated after the fish shifted their habitat into complete darkness a million or more years ago.
These albino cavefish dwell today in freshwater caves in northeastern Mexico, with skin growing over their now useless eyes.
Full Text
By Charles Q. Choi, Live Science, Fox News
Blind cavefish whose eyes have withered away may not be so blind after all.
Instead, a light-sensitive organ in their brains can detect light, research now reveals.
The blind cave-dwelling form of the Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) evolved from surface-dwelling ancestors whose eyes degenerated after the fish shifted their habitat into complete darkness a million or more years ago.
These albino cavefish dwell today in freshwater caves in northeastern Mexico, with skin growing over their now useless eyes.
Full Text