<i>Astyanax mexicanus</i> (IMAGE)

University of Maryland

<i>Astyanax mexicanus</i>

Caption

The fish Astyanax mexicanus exists in two distinct forms: A surface-dwelling form with eyes (top) and a blind, cave-dwelling form without eyes (bottom). A new study reveals that the cave-dwelling form loses its eyes due to the silencing of more than two dozen genes -- many of which are shared by humans and have been implicated in human eye disorders.

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NIH

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