In a world cloaked in darkness, these fish may have a unique way of seeing colors

Scientists have long presumed that the creatures in the deep ocean experienced a dark, colorless world. But some of the fish who live there may be able to see colors thanks to a newly discovered visual system that's never been seen in vertebrates before.

The find, reported in the journal Science, challenges long-held assumptions about how these animals perceive colors.

"We didn't expect this at all," said study co-leader Fabio Cortesi, a marine biologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. "We were like, 'Whoa, what's happening?'"

Christopher Kenaley, a biologist at Boston College who wasn't involved in the study, said the report should prompt