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Adv."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,13]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Vertebrate vision relies on two photoreceptor types: cones for bright light and rods for dim light. The current dogma is that vertebrates develop cone-dominated retinas first, adding rods later. Here we show that larval deep-sea fishes have \u201chybrid\u201d photoreceptors, expressing cone-specific genes in rod-like cells. Through development, they either retain these rod-like cones (in\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Maurolicus mucronatus<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) or transition to true rods expressing rod-specific genes and transcription factors (in\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Vinciguerria mabahiss<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Benthosema pterotum<\/jats:italic>\n                    ). Unlike most marine fish larvae, which inhabit brightly lit waters, deep-sea fish larvae experience deeper and dimmer environments. By combining rod-like morphology with cone-like molecular machinery, hybrid photoreceptors likely maximize visual performance under such conditions. Consistently, spectral maxima predictions and environmental light estimations suggest tuning to the prevailing light environment throughout life. Our findings provide molecular, morphological, and functional evidence for the evolution of an alternative developmental trajectory for vertebrate vision.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.adx2596","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,11]],"date-time":"2026-02-11T18:58:47Z","timestamp":1770836327000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Deep-sea fish reveal an alternative developmental trajectory for vertebrate vision"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5378-8781","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Lily G.","family":"Fogg","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia."},{"name":"Zoological Institute, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3457-0274","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Stamatina","family":"Isari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Marine Research, Bergen 5005, Norway."},{"name":"Red Sea Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Jeddah 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5434-1391","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jonathan E.","family":"Barnes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4999-5347","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jagdish Suresh","family":"Patel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA."},{"name":"Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9006-6713","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"N.","family":"Marshall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9988-1674","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Walter","family":"Salzburger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zoological Institute, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4602-9840","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Fanny","family":"de Busserolles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7518-6159","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Fabio","family":"Cortesi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia."},{"name":"School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"221","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/eye.2015.236"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.preteyeres.2013.06.001"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-vision-091517-034055"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.aao4709"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2014.12.031"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jez.1402560509"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0002-9394(34)93309-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1007353003066"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1242\/jeb.244513"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1242\/jeb.244740"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/mec.16744"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-cellbio-120219-024915"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.semcdb.2020.06.007"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.21608\/ejhm.2004.18166"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A. 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