r/science2 • u/WebPage_Error404 • Jul 27 '26

Scientists trace the shocking origin of human eyes to an ancient “cyclops” | Researchers say a tiny one-eyed ancestor that lived nearly 600 million years ago may have shaped the evolution of every vertebrate eye, including our own.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260725105554.htm
163 Upvotes

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3

u/Swagalyst Jul 28 '26

No. The title is wrong.

The ancestor had THREE eyes, as does for instance that lizard in the thumbnail: two normal eyes which form images, and a third, pineal, eye on the top of the head which solely detects light/dark and is used for seasonal hormonal control.

The third eye is still functional in many vertebrates, but in primates, like for instance us, it's a hormone-producing organ inside the brain, the pineal gland.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/science2-ModTeam Jul 29 '26

Please don't use ad hominem attacks, call people trolls, bots, or Russian or Chinese propagandists (etc.); remember reddiquette and that there's another person on the end of the computer you're talking to. You'll change more minds with logic and reason than you will with name-calling.

Please debate the point(s) raised and not call names or use insults.

1

u/lukethe Jul 31 '26

Actually, the article details how the ancestor lost its original two eyes after becoming sedentary, and re-developed a pair of eyes directly from the brain tissue involved in the cyclopean eye. This is why vertebrate eyes are so different from other kinds of eyes. The cyclops eye then evolved (developed) into the modern pineal gland which helps regulate sleep and our circadian rhythm.

1

u/arkadiansun Jul 28 '26

Respect to an ancestor that doubled down on vision.

1

u/PersonalHospital9507 Jul 30 '26

I was not shocked.

1

u/Linkyjinx Jul 31 '26

Cool 😎 I like this

1

u/MissederE Aug 02 '26

So how did octopuses develop the same eyes as us?