Article: Eye to (third) eye; scientists are taking advantage of unexpected similarities between the eye's retina and the brain's pineal gland.

Eye to (Third) Eye

From daily light-dark cycles to detailed visual configurations, patterns of illumination in the environment have profound effects on animals. The retina and the pineal gland are the organs primarily responsible for the body's recognition and sophisticated processing of external light. Until recently these two organs in mammals seemed to have little else in common and were consequently studied by separate groups of scientists. But a new alliance of researchers is now exploring striking similarities that are speeding research efforts in both fields. Their findings suggest that the pineal gland was the evolutionary precursor to the modern eye.

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