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To: Ilaine who wrote (14676)	2/8/2002 11:13:15 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Respond to of 74559

Amazing stuff: <...Then Dr. Provencio found a head scratcher — a light-sensitive molecule in the skin cells of the African clawed frog that changes color when the light changes. The molecule, melanopsin, is in the family of proteins that help convert photons of light into electrical and chemical signals used by the nervous system. Rods and cones use rhodopsin, a mammalian protein in the same family. A search in genetic databases turned up a surprise. Melanopsin is found in a small number of ganglion cells in the retinas of mice, monkeys and humans. Moreover, these ganglion cells project to the SCN, the region that sets the body's clock. <"When I heard this, my eyes got huge," Dr. Berson said. To find out whether the ganglion cells reacted to light, he isolated them so they had no contact with rods or cones and monitored their electrical activity....> He presumably means "When I read this..." so his eyes got huge from seeing the light. I wonder whether he checked his Iris to see whether they changed colour as well as getting huge. Perhaps though, he did hear it, in which case there is a fascinating link from his aural systems to his eyes. <a light-sensitive molecule in the skin cells of the African clawed frog that changes color when the light changes. The molecule, melanopsin, is in the family of proteins that help convert photons of light into electrical and chemical signals used by the nervous system. Rods and cones use rhodopsin, a mammalian protein in the same family.> Jay, do you have any African clawed frog relatives in your eclectic melange of DNA? Have you checked your colour when the light changes? There could be a huge market for retrofitting people with the DNA. Imagine the possibilities in nightclubs if somebody had melanopsin. They could flash different colours under different lights while others would be dull shades of melanin. I think young women would be impressed!! Mqurice