Researchers with the UC San Diego department of molecular biology recently traced the evolution of a key vertebrate eye protein to bacteria. More specifically, they found that the gene for vertebrate interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein was acquired through interdomain horizontal gene transfer from bacteria over 500 million years ago. In an article published in PNAS, researchers.
The evolution of the human eye has long been considered one of biology's more challenging mysteries, drawing debate over the sequence of steps required to turn rudimentary sensitivity to light into a complex photographic system. New research suggests.