Strange, Blind Beetles Overturn Traditional View of Evolution

Scientists have made a surprising discovery beneath the Western Australian desert which challenges the traditional view of evolution. They've found a species of blind predatory water beetle that have lived underground for millions of years and that express vision genes, which are usually only found in species with eyes.

"Opsin proteins form visual pigments which turn photons of light into a signal that is sent to the brain," said Simon Tierney, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The presence of these gene products is unusual, not only because there is no light to activate the signaling pathways (biochemical cascades) underground, but because these beetles are also eyeless."

In order to better understand the genetics of these eyeless beetles, the scientists used next-generation genetic sequencing to compare three subterranean beetle species with two closely related surface dwelling species. Opsin gene products were found in all surface species and in one of the three subterranean beetle species.

"Our results broadly conform to non-adaptive evolutionary theory and the discovery of a functional opsin in one underground species may indicate either a secondary role for opsin, known as pleiotropy, or the amount of time spent underground," said Tierney. "Our study has made a significant contribution in understanding how regressive evolution may operate under a non-adaptive evolutionary process."

Non-adaptive evolution, or Neutral Theory, occurs when there is no selective pressure on a gene. This results in an accumulation of random mutations in the gene sequence over time. This new beetle

The findings are published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

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