RE: Science Porn
October 8, 2014 at 1:08 pm
(This post was last modified: October 8, 2014 at 1:21 pm by Anomalocaris.)
Rhodopsin, more specifically channelrhodopsin:
This is the light sensitive protein which enables green algea to see light and move towards light.
Analysis shows the algea genes which enables green algea to synthesize channelrhodopsin is direct ancester of the genes which enables all animals with vision to synthesize different varieties of Rhodopsin in their eyes. So the direct ancester of all vision in all animals is to be found in the ancester to higher plants.
How this happened is not clear. The most likely scenario is some single celled ancester of animals ate a green algea cell, but failed to digest it. The green algea continue to live inside the animal cell and eventually contributed its own genes to those of the animal cell around it.
This is the light sensitive protein which enables green algea to see light and move towards light.
Analysis shows the algea genes which enables green algea to synthesize channelrhodopsin is direct ancester of the genes which enables all animals with vision to synthesize different varieties of Rhodopsin in their eyes. So the direct ancester of all vision in all animals is to be found in the ancester to higher plants.
How this happened is not clear. The most likely scenario is some single celled ancester of animals ate a green algea cell, but failed to digest it. The green algea continue to live inside the animal cell and eventually contributed its own genes to those of the animal cell around it.