{"667502":{"#nid":"667502","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mudskippers Could Be Key to Understanding Evolution of Blinking","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBlinking is crucial for the eye. It\u2019s how animals clean their eyes, protect them, and even communicate. But how and why did blinking originate? Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Seton Hill University, and Pennsylvania State University studied the mudskipper, an amphibious fish that spends most of its day on land, to better understand why blinking is a fundamental behavior for life on land.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAlthough mudskippers are distantly related to tetrapods, the group that includes humans and other four-limbed vertebrates, researchers believed studying the fish could unlock how blinking evolved as these animals began to move on land.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe research team, which included several undergraduates, published their findings in the paper, \u201c\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2220404120\u0022\u003EThe Origin of Blinking in Both Mudskippers and Tetrapods Is Linked to Life on Land,\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d in \u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academies of Science\u003C\/em\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cBy comparing the anatomy and behavior of mudskippers to the fossil record of early tetrapods, we argue that blinking emerged in both groups as an adaptation to life on land,\u201d \u003C\/span\u003Esaid \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/science.psu.edu\/bio\/people\/tas6514\u0022\u003ETom Stewart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E, an assistant professor at Penn State and an author of the paper. \u201cThese results help us understand our own biology and raise a whole set of new questions about the variety of blinking behaviors we see in living species.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBreaking Down Blinking\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMudskippers blink by sucking their eye downward into their eye socket. The evolution of this behavior did not require the evolution of a lot of new parts such as new muscles or special glands, though. Instead, mudskippers use their existing set of eye muscles in a new way. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThis is a very exciting result because it demonstrates that the evolution of a new, complex behavior can be achieved using a relatively rudimentary set of structures,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/brettaiello.weebly.com\/\u0022\u003EBrett Aiello\u003C\/a\u003E, a former postdoctoral fellow in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sponberg.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAgile Systems Lab\u003C\/a\u003E and now assistant professor at Seton Hill.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ENext, the research team set out to determine why mudskippers blink. In a series of experiments, they found that mudskippers blink for three main functions: to wet, clean, and protect the eye. These functions are also why humans and other land-dwelling vertebrates blink.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWe find that a single behavior can be deployed to accomplish three complex, distinct functions,\u201d said Aiello. \u201cThese results not only help humans understand our own history, but also help us reevaluate the adaptations necessary for major transitions in the evolutionary history of vertebrates, like moving from water to land.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBlinking isn\u2019t just a unique research question, but also an important mechanism to understand, according to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/saad-bhamla\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESaad Bhamla\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E and author on the paper.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201c\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWe all blink without thinking, and understanding why we blink is just such a beautiful puzzle right in front of our eyes,\u201d Bhamla said. \u201cThrough our research on mudskippers and by conducting biophysical and morphological analyses, we expose how blinking serves a multitude of functions for adapting to life out of water.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EEngaging Undergraduates\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETo explore such open-ended questions, the researchers engaged the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.vip.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EVertically Integrated Projects (VIP)\u003C\/a\u003E program, which allows undergraduates to conduct long-term, large-scale research projects as part of their coursework at Georgia Tech. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThe structure of the VIP course empowers students to really lean on their own creativity and drive the project in the directions that are most exciting to them,\u201d said Aiello. \u201cIt helps our students gain the ability to solve unknown problems on the ground as they arise \u2014 a lot of people become scientists to push research somewhere where nobody else has tried to go before.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe VIP structure is inherently multidisciplinary. While Aiello is a biologist, most students were engineers and brought their respective expertise. \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EManognya Sripathi was a biomedical engineering major with a minor in computer science and offered her unique experience to the mudskipper problem. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cI used my computer science skills to gather raw data and analyze and plot them using programs like MATLAB or Python,\u201d Sripathi said. \u201cI also used engineering skills to help build the experimental equipment, allowing us to apply engineering methods to study a biological problem in a unique way.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMoving Beyond Mudskippers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETe research didn\u2019t just expand knowledge of mudskippers \u2014 it also contributed to each student\u2019s future aspirations. \u003Cspan\u003EFor example,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EKendra\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp;Washington\u2019s trajectory was influenced by the two semesters she spent in the lab.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cVIP drew me closer to the programming and device areas of my biomedical engineering major and solidified why I picked up a computer science minor,\u201d she said. \u201cI continued to pursue that fusion through later internships and research, and now work with hemodynamic monitoring. But in a sense, I still help characterize physiology through programming.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EVIP also expanded the students\u2019 knowledge and scientific experience that have propelled them far beyond the lab. Hajime Minoguchi, a biomedical engineering graduate, now works as \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Ea systems integration research and development engineer thanks to his experience in the class.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWorking in an interdisciplinary\u0026nbsp;team like this has allowed me to learn how to understand and communicate ideas between disciplines, which allowed me to be a more well-rounded engineer,\u201d Minoguchi said. \u201cMy work requires a thorough\u0026nbsp;understanding of biology, electrical circuitry, software, firmware, mechanical interactions, and physics. This VIP experience was instrumental for me in being successful at my current job.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe research is far greater than the sum of its parts and brings a greater understanding of evolution,\u003Cspan\u003E noted \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/simon-sponberg\u0022\u003ESimon Sponberg\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cBlinking is a reflection of a bigger question,\u201d Sponberg said. \u201cHow did major evolutionary transitions occur that enabled organisms to inhabit basically every environment on this planet? What we learned is you don\u0027t need the evolution of a lot of specialized musculature or glands; evolution can tinker with the structures that are already there, allowing them to be used in a new way and for a new behavior.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECITATION:\u0026nbsp;Aiello BR, MS Bhamla, J Gau, JGL Morris, K Bomar, S da Cunha, H Fu, J Laws, H Minoguchi, M Sripathi, K Washington,G Wong, NH Shubin\u2020, S Sponberg\u2020, TA Stewart. The origin of blinking in mudskippers and tetrapods is linked to life on land.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDOI:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2220404120\u0022\u003E10.1073\/pnas.2220404120\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBlinking is crucial for the eye. It\u2019s how animals clean their eyes, protect them, and even communicate. But how and why did blinking originate? Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Seton Hill University, and Pennsylvania State University studied the mudskipper, an amphibious fish that spends most of its day on land, to better understand why blinking is a fundamental behavior for life on land.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers at the Georgia Tech, Seton Hill University, and Pennsylvania State University studied the mudskipper, an amphibious fish that spends most of its day on land, to better understand why blinking is a fundamental behavior for life on land.."}],"uid":"34541","created_gmt":"2023-04-24 19:23:16","changed_gmt":"2024-02-01 15:14:08","author":"Tess Malone","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-04-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-04-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670616":{"id":"670616","type":"image","title":"Indian Mudskipper","body":null,"created":"1682372615","gmt_created":"2023-04-24 21:43:35","changed":"1682372615","gmt_changed":"2023-04-24 21:43:35","alt":"Indian Mudskipper","file":{"fid":"253511","name":"indian_mudskipper Large.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/24\/indian_mudskipper%20Large_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/24\/indian_mudskipper%20Large_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":68140,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/04\/24\/indian_mudskipper%20Large_0.jpeg?itok=A_-Az6pQ"}}},"media_ids":["670616"],"related_files":{"253508":{"fid":null,"name":"Mudskipper 2","file_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/24\/indian_mudskipper%20Large.jpeg","file_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/24\/indian_mudskipper%20Large.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":138036,"description":null}},"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1316","name":"Green Buzz"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETess Malone, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["tess.malone@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}