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Research Team Names Protein After Pokémon's Pikachu
posted on by Egan Loo
Pikachurin named for its role in regulating the efficiency of kinetic vision
Not-So-Daily Link of the Day: Researchers led by Takahisa Furukawa, M.D. & Ph.D. of Japan's Osaka Bioscience Institute have named a protein that they discovered after the Pikachu character from Nintendo's Pokémon game and anime franchise. The "Pikachurin" protein plays a role in the efficient transmission of kinetic vision information from the eyes to the brain, so the researchers named the protein after the Pokémon character known for its fast moves. The researchers expect that the discovery will help advance the treatments for retinitis pigmentosa, a major hereditary cause of blindness.
Source: Daily Yomiuri
Image © 2008 Pokémon. © 1995-2008 Nintendo/Creatures, Inc./GAME FREAK, Inc.
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