The Discovery

Researchers from the United Kingdom and Sweden have identified this ancient organ as the composite ancestral median eye. Their findings suggest that the species from which humans evolved depended heavily on this central structure after losing their two side eyes approximately 500 million years ago.

According to the study, ancient non-vertebrate species—creatures without backbones—burrowed underground and lost functionality of their normal eyes. This forced them to rely on the central organ for light detection.

What is the Pineal Gland?

The organ, known medically as the pineal gland, has been documented by physicians since ancient Greek times. However, it was previously thought to have evolved independently from regular eyes. The new research establishes a direct link to how our distant ancestors used their vision.

Though remnants of this third eye remain inside human skulls today, it no longer detects light. Instead, it receives light and darkness information from our regular eyes to help regulate sleep patterns.

How it Works

The pineal gland produces melatonin, the hormone that signals to the body it’s nighttime and time to rest. This helps synchronize circadian rhythms—the 24-hour biological cycle that promotes sleepiness and influences various physiological processes throughout day and night.

These processes include:

• Control of the reproductive system
• Immune system health
• Mood regulation (according to some theories)
• Body temperature control

While no longer a functional eye, the gland contains special cells called pinealocytes that release melatonin.

The Study’s Goal

Published in Current Biology, the research aimed to understand how human eyes and retinas evolved over hundreds of millions of years.

Professor Thomas Baden, a neuroscientist at the University of Sussex who led the research, discovered that humanity’s earliest ancestors possessed both side eyes and a central light-sensing structure in their heads.

When early ancestors began burrowing and filter-feeding half a billion years ago, they lost their side eyes and depended primarily on the middle structure to sense direction and distinguish day from night.

Scientists now believe parts of this third eye later evolved and migrated to the sides of the head, developing into the retinas in our eyes today.

Key Insight from the Researcher

Professor Baden explained to BBC Science Focus: “The need to know what time of day it is, or where is up and down if you’re in deep water. That doesn’t go away. So, we speculate that that’s when we lost the original side eyes, but we kept the original median eye, because that’s what it’s good for.”

He added: “Therefore, the retina predates the eye, if that makes sense.”

Research Methodology

The international team didn’t conduct new experiments or scans. Instead, they carefully reviewed existing studies and genetic data from animals including fish and lampreys to understand how this eye still serves purposes in human-related species.

Game-Changing Findings

The results transformed scientific understanding by proving that retinas and the pineal gland originated from the same ancient structure, rather than evolving separately.

Third Eyes Still Exist in Some Species

Certain species still possess visible third eyes, including New Zealand’s tuatara reptile. This organ has a lens and retina similar to normal eyes.

The tuatara’s third eye doesn’t create detailed images but detects light changes, particularly overhead light from the sky. This helps regulate circadian rhythms and manage daily behaviors like sun-basking or hiding.

The Mystical Connection

While no credible scientific evidence supports it, long-standing beliefs connect the human “third eye” to supernatural abilities including:

• Intuition
• Inner vision
• Psychic perception

This concept is strongly tied to Hindu and yogic traditions, where the third eye links to the Ajna chakra, an energy center in the human body. Ancient yoga texts describe awakening this chakra as unlocking clairvoyance, telepathy, and spiritual insight.

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Evans, who founded the Friends of Zion and has long been an outspoken supporter of Israel, said the conversation took place during a two-hour meeting that also included the crown prince’s brother and the Saudi foreign minister.

Evans’s remarks came as Donald Trump pushed for a wider regional alignment tied to a possible Iran deal, with Reuters reporting that he urged countries including Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey to join the Abraham Accords. Trump also said he had spoken over the weekend with leaders from those countries, along with officials from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Axios reported that Trump had asked several Arab and Muslim-majority states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, to move toward normalization with Israel if a deal to end the Iran war is reached. Evans said he viewed Trump’s efforts as genuine and argued that the former president still has significant leverage with Riyadh.

The Abraham Accords, first signed during Trump’s initial term, normalized ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020, later followed by Morocco and Sudan. Saudi Arabia has long been seen as the most important possible addition to that framework, but Riyadh has publicly said recognition of Israel depends on progress toward a Palestinian settlement.

Trump’s broader outreach has also included states viewed as more difficult cases, such as Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan. Qatar has hosted Hamas leaders and played a key role in hostage negotiations, Turkey has sharply criticized Israel during the Gaza war, and Pakistan has never recognized Israel.

Evans argued that Trump’s personal relationships and negotiating style could still produce results. He said expanding the accords would weaken Islamist movements, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, and strengthen a Sunni bloc aligned with Israel.

The post Trump’s Friend Claims MBS Wants to Recognize Israel But Sees His Father as Main Obstacle appeared first on ProPakistani.

The three-day Eid Al-Adha festival, which coincides with the culmination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, normally fuels a spike in economic activity as people purchase sacrificial animals, clothing, gifts, desserts and sweetmeats. Instead, traders say this year’s spending spree never materialized.

Kashif Chaudhry, president of the Central Association of Traders in Pakistan, said the business community had anticipated around Rs. 500 billion ($1.8 billion) in retail activity this Eid, which, together with livestock sales, was expected to push the overall Eid economy to roughly Rs. 1.4 trillion ($5.04 billion). Those projections, he added, have been shattered by the sharp fall in consumer turnout.

“Based on last year’s numbers, we were expecting at least Rs. 400-500 billion [$1.4-1.8 billion] in Eid-related business,” Chaudhry told Arab News, adding that ordinary commercial activity has shrunk by “at least 60 percent” this year.

Pakistan’s consumer price inflation jumped to 10.9 percent in April, up from 7.3 percent in March, as the ongoing confrontation between the United States and Iran pushed up fuel costs and disrupted supply chains. The resulting squeeze on household budgets has hit traditional retail hubs that rely on seasonal demand in sectors such as clothing, footwear, electronics, and festive foods.

According to Chaudhry, the sales estimates are derived from tracking inventory flows from manufacturers, importers, large factories and small producers against goods actually distributed to retailers.

Arab News said it was unable to independently verify the traders’ figures, and State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani as well as finance adviser Khurram Schehzad did not respond to requests for comment.

Authorities in Islamabad have repeatedly defended tight fiscal and tax measures as unavoidable conditions under multi-billion-dollar International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programs designed to stabilize the economy. Business groups, however, argue that rapid tax reforms combined with a high policy rate — currently 11.5 percent — have choked domestic demand.

Chaudhry said the slowdown is visible from high-end retail outlets to mid-tier wholesale centers, leaving traders stuck with unsold Eid stock and struggling to service short-term credit obligations.

In Lahore, the country’s second-largest city, traders describe once-busy markets as eerily quiet. “Markets are deserted, there is silence everywhere, and sales have dropped to rock bottom,” said Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhatti, head of the Gulberg Traders Board, referring to thin crowds at Liberty Market, Al-Latif Center and other commercial hotspots.

He said daily wage earners making just Rs1,000-2,000 ($3.60-7.20) now face stark choices: “A person earning just Rs1,000-2,000 a day is forced to choose between buying petrol, paying children’s school fees, managing household groceries, or spending money on Eid shopping.”

In Karachi, Pakistan’s financial hub, the downturn has rippled through major supply chains and wholesale networks. Atiq Mir, president of the Karachi Tajir Ittehad, said commercial activity in the metropolis has fallen by more than 50 percent. “Shopkeepers are worried, while customers seem to have disappeared from the markets,” he told Arab News.

Mahmood Ahmad, a trader in Karachi, said there was a visible dearth of buyers in the city’s leading electronics and garments markets, which typically bustle with shoppers ahead of Eid. “This year the number of buyers appears to be very low in the electronics market, which is the largest in the country,” he said, adding that sales in the adjacent Cooperative Market’s garment section had also slowed “significantly.”

Retailers say inflationary pressures are being compounded by what they describe as aggressive tax enforcement by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), including mandatory installation of digital Point of Sale (POS) machines to monitor real-time sales. Many argue the measures have increased compliance burdens at a time when demand is already collapsing.

In Islamabad’s Blue Area, retailer Faaiz Jalil said shopkeepers have started cutting back on orders to avoid being stuck with unsold inventory. “I used to buy large stocks, now I buy less than half of that, thinking that if this gets sold then I will buy more,” he said, adding that current prices are unlike anything he has seen before: “There is extremely high inflation. I have never seen such inflation in Pakistan.”

Via: Arab News

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The footage shows officials inspecting the outlet and pointing to violations related to cleanliness and food safety. The action appears to have been taken after the inspection reportedly confirmed that the store was not following required hygiene protocols and was keeping expired products for sale.

Food safety enforcement actions have become a recurring concern in major cities, where authorities periodically inspect bakeries, restaurants and dessert outlets for violations that can pose health risks to consumers. In such cases, officials typically order closures until the business addresses the issues and meets compliance standards.

The video has drawn attention online, with viewers reacting strongly to the sealing of the branch and the presence of expired items. The incident underscores the importance of routine inspections, proper storage and strict adherence to food safety rules in retail food businesses.

The post Sweet Creme Branch Sealed Over Unhygienic Conditions and Expired Items appeared first on ProPakistani.

The study, published in the journal Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, introduces a unified equation that can predict multiple population growth including slow early expansion and more recent decelerating trends.

The model differs from traditional methods by allowing population growth to shift between different regimes through a single controlling parameter. It draws mathematical parallels with physics.

The model closely fits major phases of human population evolution over the past 12,000 years. It also revisits earlier “doomsday” projections, including the 1960 hypothesis by Heinz von Foerster that population growth could diverge toward infinity around 2026.

For future scenarios, the baseline projection indicates no imminent global collapse; however, the study explores extreme hypothetical cases in which Earth’s carrying capacity is sharply reduced due to climate change, pandemics, or resource constraints.

In a worst-case scenario, the model produces a rapid contraction pathway in which global population could roughly halve by around 2064. This is not a forecast but a sensitivity experiment showing how abrupt systemic stress could reshape world population.

The framework suggests that population dynamics may behave like complex nonlinear systems capable of switching between stable growth, saturation, and collapse.

The post World Population Could Collapse By More Than 4 Billion in Next 40 Years: Study appeared first on ProPakistani.

Researchers say constant worries about money may raise stress hormones, disrupt sleep, increase blood pressure, and trigger inflammation, all of which are linked to cardiovascular problems.

A recent study involving nearly 400,000 people found that long-term stress caused by financial difficulties was associated with a higher risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and heart failure.

Researchers said the effects were partly driven by lifestyle changes, immune system responses, poor sleep, and metabolic changes in the body.

Separate research and medical experts have also warned that lack of money may affect heart health at levels comparable to some traditional risk factors, including smoking and high blood pressure.

Chronic stress keeps the brain and body in a constant “threat mode,” which can gradually damage blood vessels and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease over time.

Researchers added that heart health depends not only on diet and exercise, but also on emotional well-being, financial stability, and stress management.

The post Lack of Money Harms Pakistani Hearts More Than Smoking, Cholesterol and Sugar appeared first on ProPakistani.

The platform has evolved from a lightweight online editor into a broader AI-focused design suite that includes Pixlr Editor, Pixlr Designer, and Pixlr Express.

The tools cover advanced layer-based editing, template-driven graphic design, and AI-assisted image editing workflows.

Pixlr Editor now supports many features commonly associated with professional desktop editing software, including layers, masks, blend modes, PSD file support, healing tools, curves, levels, clone stamp, liquify, filters, and non-destructive adjustments.

Meanwhile, Pixlr Express focuses heavily on AI-based editing features such as generative fill, image expansion, background removal, sharpening, and noise reduction.

Most of these tools operate through a credit-based system. Free/casual users also receive limited AI credits and export allowances.

The platform remains entirely browser-based and eliminates the need for software installation while making advanced editing tools accessible on lower-end systems and devices.

Pixlr’s free tier includes a large portion of its core editing features, while paid plans begin at around $2 per month for users requiring additional exports, storage, or AI usage.

The company says its focus remains on providing accessible image editing and design tools for casual users, freelancers, and creators who do not require full-scale enterprise creative suites.

The post Photoshop Pro and Canva Pro Replacement, but Free for Casual Users appeared first on ProPakistani.

According to Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Syed Abdul Raheem Shirazi, driving license offices located at Liberty Market, Greater Iqbal Park, Manawan and Wapda Town Khidmat Center will continue providing services during Eid holidays.

The CTO said citizens would be able to access licensing services throughout the Eid days, adding that thousands of people were being facilitated daily through various public service initiatives.

Syed Abdul Raheem Shirazi stated that issuing driving licenses on merit and in a respectful manner remained a top priority, while transparency in the licensing system was being ensured at all levels.

He further said providing improved public services was among the primary responsibilities of the traffic police, which was why selected licensing centers had been kept functional during Eid holidays.

The post Lahore Driving License Centers to Remain Open During Eid appeared first on ProPakistani.

The study, titled “Taxing Connectivity: How Taxes and Tariffs Deepen Pakistan’s Digital Divide,” states that a smartphone valued at around Rs. 196,000 internationally costs nearly Rs. 294,500 in Pakistan after the addition of regulatory duties, sales tax, mobile levies, and withholding taxes.

The report argues that high taxation is making Pakistan one of the most expensive markets for premium smartphones in the region and is limiting access to digital tools.

According to the findings, Pakistan’s digital gap is driven more by affordability constraints than infrastructure limitations. While around 81 percent of the population lives in areas covered by 3G and 4G networks, only 29 percent actively use the internet, leaving a usage gap of 52 percent.

Researchers attribute this gap primarily to high taxes on mobile devices and telecom services, which they say place smartphones and connectivity beyond the reach of lower-income groups.

The report also highlights that Pakistan’s telecom sector is subject to multiple layers of taxation, including advance income tax, federal excise duty, and provincial sales tax, resulting in a combined tax burden of around 42 percent of operator revenues. It warns that this reduces investment capacity and slows expansion of broadband and next-generation networks.

On mobile manufacturing policy, the study notes that despite attracting investment of around $300 million and creating over 60,000 jobs, local assembly has achieved less than 10 percent localization against a target of 49 percent. Most production still depends on imported kits and components.

The report further warns that high taxation is contributing to a growing grey market for smartphones, including cloned and illegally modified devices. It notes that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked nearly 100 million unauthorized devices during FY2024–25.

PRIME recommends replacing the existing tiered tax structure with a uniform 18 percent sales tax on imported smartphones, arguing that reduced taxation could improve affordability, curb smuggling, and help bridge Pakistan’s digital divide.

The post Over 50% Price of a Mobile Phone in Pakistan is Just PTA Tax: Report appeared first on ProPakistani.

According to an official holiday notification issued by the consulate, the German Consulate General Karachi will remain closed on Wednesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 28, due to Eid ul Azha holidays.

The consulate stated that all regular consular services would remain suspended during the holiday period, while normal operations are scheduled to resume on Friday, May 29.

In its public announcement, the German Consulate General Karachi also extended Eid greetings to people celebrating the occasion and wished them a peaceful and joyful Eid ul Azha.

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