Tadpoles Grow Extra Eye On Command

Scientists at the University of Warwick in England have discovered a genetic switch that can cause tadpoles to grow an extra eye. Neuroscientist Nicholas Dale, biologist Elizabeth Jones, and some colleagues made this discovery while they were studying ectoenzyme molecules on the external surface of cells. They injected molecules into frog embryos, which contain eight cells. One of the ectoenzymes produced eye development. When it was added to the cells that would become the head, the tadpole grew three eyes instead of two. Injected into other developing body cells, the ectoenzyme also caused an eye to grow on that body part. This discovery is a major step toward growing eyeballs or eye parts.

I thought this was kind of gross,

but cool at the same time.

It could also be veryhelpful

if you're missing an eye.

:)

See the article here.