A recent Harvard study reveals that certain sea slugs can consume algae and integrate their photosynthetic organelles into their own cells, which continue to produce nutrients and energy through photosynthesis. This adaptation allows sea slugs not only to thrive under normal circumstances but also to utilize these organelles as energy reserves during starvation. The research sheds light on the process of biological integration, potentially unveiling broader implications for understanding eukaryotic evolution and biomedical applications.
This is an organism that can steal parts of other organisms, put them in their own cells, and use them. And I thought that was some of the craziest biology I'd ever heard of.
I think the wow factor is that sea slugs can essentially steal 'superpowers' - here the ability to make energy from light through algae.
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