Access To Tech

Clues from a Somalian cavefish about modern mammals' dark past

After millions of years living in darkness, a species of blind cavefish has lost an ancient system of DNA repair. That DNA repair system, found in organisms including bacteria, fungi, plants, and most other animals, harnesses energy from visible light to repair DNA damage induced by ultraviolet (UV) light. The findings are intriguing in part because only placental mammals were previously known to lack this system.
After millions of years living in darkness, a species of blind cavefish has lost an ancient system of DNA repair. That DNA repair system, found in organisms including bacteria, fungi, plants, and most other animals, harnesses energy from visible light to repair DNA damage induced by ultraviolet (UV) light. The findings are intriguing in part because only placental mammals were previously known to lack this system.

Full Article

Related Articles • More Articles

Researchers surveyed 363 people, from 68 teams, asking them about their colleagues' professional and personal lives.
Can't a bird get some biodiversity around here? The landscaping choices homeowners make can lead to reduced bird populations, thanks to the elimination of native plants and the accidental creation of food deserts.
Good bacteria cleaning water in Georgia Aquarium's huge oceanic exhibit delivered a nice surprise to researchers. The aquarium wanted to know which bacteria were at work, so oceanic biochemists analyzed them: The bacterial colonies raised eyebrows because they were virtually indistinguishable from those found in natural settings.