Re:Why extraterrestrial life may not seem alien
by ncmncm on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @07:05PM
(#28055366)
Octopus eyes did not, in fact, evolve independently. This claim is repeated ad nauseam and is wholly false.
The common ancestor of octopods, insects, and humans had eyes, and coded where to put them with the same gene in all lineages that have eyes. This was demonstrated by inserting a vertebrate "eye here" gene into a fruit fly embryo, causing an eye to grow there.
The common ancestor of octopods, insects, and humans had eyes, and coded where to put them with the same gene in all lineages that have eyes. This was demonstrated by inserting a vertebrate "eye here" gene into a fruit fly embryo, causing an eye to grow there.