This eyeless cavefish grows extra taste buds
UC research on blind cavefish featured in Popular Science and other national publications
Blind cavefish start to increase the number and location of taste buds — to the head and chin — at 5 months, according to a recent study led by biologist Joshua Gross, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
The research, which appears in Communications Biology, was picked up by several national science news outlets to include Popular Science and Earth.com.
Gross has been studying cavefish for years at UC. “They make an excellent model to examine regressive evolution, the process by which animals lose features over generations,” he says of prior studies that focused on the loss of sight and pigmentation.
The recent study, however, identifies when Mexican cavefish gain extra oral tastebuds and the progression of this gain into adulthood.
“Regression, such as the loss of eyesight and pigmentation, is a well-studied phenomenon, but the biological bases of constructive features are less well understood,” says Gross.
Read more about the study on the UC website: Blind cavefish have extraordinary taste buds
Media coverage:
Popular Science: The eyeless cavefish grows extra taste buds on its head
Earth.com: Blind cavefish lost their eyes, but gained taste buds on their head
Featured image at top of cavefish. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.
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