FLICKR, SNICKCLUNK
Researchers have discovered a new class of light-detecting molecule, a protein in a family of taste receptors that can capture ultraviolet (UV) light more efficiently than the photoreceptors in the human eye. In a study published last week (November 17) in Cell, an international team measured the light-absorbing capacity of the protein that allows C. elegans nematodes to respond to light—despite the fact that the roundworm is eyeless.
The researchers suspected nematodes could detect light in some manner because they previously found that the roundworms will move away from UV flashes, according to a press release, and they knew that a specific protein, LITE-1, was needed for this response.
“Photoreceptors convert light into a signal that the body can use,” explained coauthor Shawn Xu of ...
