IU Researchers Develop Beetle With Working Third Eye
Indiana University biologist Armin Moczek describes the horned dung beetles he studies as resembling small, little coffee beans. They look just like regular beetles with six little legs and a shiny black body, but it’s their third eye that makes them special.
“It turns out that this eye is fully functional. It’s in the wrong place. It’s not a perfect eye, but it’s perfect enough to see,” he says.
That extra eye was a surprise discovery Moczek’s team found after interfering with the insect’s genetic material during its development. So instead of a horn that typically develops in the middle of the head, the beetle has a third eye.
- Source: Wvpe
- Via: Jennifer Weingart
