New Paper: Jellyfish stinging cells are controlled by light

Dr. Gold’s latest paper is now online. This was a collaboration with Todd Oakley’s lab at UC Santa Barbara, led by his former student (and now Yale Postdoc) Natasha Picciani. Even though most cnidarians (sea anemones, corals, jellyfish and hydras) lack eyes, many diverse species use light to control their stinging cells. This light reception likely set the stage for the evolution of eyes in multiple cnidarian groups. If you want to learn more check out the paper at Ecology & Evolution.