Melanopsin looks on the bright side of life

Better known as the light sensor that sets the body's biological clock, melanopsin also plays an important role in vision: Via its messengers-so-called melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells, or mRGCs-it forwards information ...

Image sensors that behave like biological retinas

Ever since the invention of the first camera obscura and the advent of photography in the 19th century, scientists have been fascinated by the use of light sensors to capture the world around us from the perspective of a ...

Cell types in the eye have ancient evolutionary origins

Karthik Shekhar and his colleagues raised a few eyebrows as they collected cow and pig eyes from Boston butchers, but those eyes—eventually from 17 separate species, including humans—are providing insights into the evolution ...

A timekeeper for siesta

Circadian clocks must be flexible and they must be able to adapt to varying environmental conditions. Otherwise, it would be impossible for living beings to change their patterns of activity when the days get shorter again ...

LC10 – the neuron that tracks fruit flies

Many animals rely on vision to detect, locate, and track moving objects. Male Drosophila fruit flies primarily use visual cues to stay close to a female and to direct their courtship song towards her. Scientists from the ...

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