The ctenophore's aboral organ shows surprising complexity (IMAGE)
Caption
A photograph of a young ctenophore's aboral organ (left) shows a cup-shaped structure topped with gravity-sensing statoliths. Researchers used volume electron microscopy to build a 3D reconstruction of the organ (right), uncovering 17 cell types of which 11 were previously undescribed. Coupled with an analysis of the cells' structure, the findings suggest that the aboral organ plays a key role in sensing the animal's environment and mediating response to stimuli.
Credit
Carine Le Goff (left), Pawel Burkhardt (right), Michael Sars Centre/University of Bergen
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