Our eyes act like a camera. They capture images from the world around us. The images can be individual objects or the features of the setting we are located in. Our eyes also help us to identify the vivid color of an object-a rose or an apple, for instance—from the surrounding background. Looking at the rose, we can guess how far it is from us. Our eyes can also discern the texture and other features of the flower. We do all this automatically, without thinking about it.
More Than a Camera
But a neuroscientist will explain that a human eye is more than a camera. It not only captures images but also transmits and interprets these images. An eye is a complicated organ with a deceptively simple structure. Some organisms possess light-sensitive cells clustered together, known as “simple eyes.” Such eyes can distinguish light and dark, but they can't detect objects or images. Even simple eyes, however, require an extremely complex mechanism to support vision.
Behind the Scenes
The process of vision begins when photons are first sensed by a specialized molecule in the eyes called 11-cis-retinal. Just as ice changes when exposed to heat, the molecule that chat captures the photon also changes ss shape and structure. This new molecule is called a rhodopsin. The energy of the photon continues to change the shape and structure of the rhodopsin into a new molecule. The new shape and structure is called metarhodopsin II. This shape is a perfect fit, like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle, for a gap in a giant protein.
Denne historien er fra January 2022-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Denne historien er fra January 2022-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
