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Kleptoplastic Sea Slugs

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    #2
    GLaDOS
    Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 23,212 Mod ✭✭✭✭GLaDOS


    Tree wrote: »
    Not a very recent article, but one i only encountered today : http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16124-solarpowered-sea-slug-harnesses-stolen-plant-genes-.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

    These mad little sluggies suck the guts out of algae and install the chloroplasts in the cells of their guts. The chloroplasts can live there for a few months when the algae isnt in season and the slug lives off sunlight instead.
    That's really cool, kind of similar as to how mitochondia developed isn't?

    Cake, and grief counseling, will be available at the conclusion of the test



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    #3
    Kevster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,980 ✭✭✭Kevster


    That's a fascinating article - Thanks for that.
    ScienceNerd wrote: »
    That's really cool, kind of similar as to how mitochondia developed isn't?

    You could look at it like that - yeh - considering that mitochondria are the animal kingdom's equivalent of the plant klingdom's chloroplasts.


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    #4
    Somnus
    Registered Users Posts: 2,345 ✭✭✭Somnus


    That's awesome. It would be interesting to know how the algal DNA gets integrated into the sea slug.

    You gotta love all the interesting stuff that happen's in biology :P


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