Shrimp eyes – the future of optical drives?
This has to be one of the strangest news stories I’ve read for some time. A breed of shrimp found in Australia called a mantis shrimp, have been studied by boffins at Bristol University in collaboration with several Universities in the States and apparently they’ve been found to see in 12 different colours as opposed to humans 3 primary colours. The study shows this amazing crustacean can identify different forms of light to create a very comprehensive 3D image. The light sensitive cells in the shrimp’s eyes behave in a very similar way to sensors in DVD players.
Dr Roberts, an expert in the field of photonics, is looking into practical applications for the research;
“…It really is exceptional – out-performing anything we humans have so far been able to create. What’s particularly exciting is how beautifully simple it is. This natural mechanism, comprised of cell membranes rolled into tubes, completely outperforms synthetic designs. It could help us make better optical devices in the future using liquid crystals that have been chemically engineered to mimic the properties of the cells in the mantis shrimp’s eye…”
Definitely something to keep an eye on… ok poor joke but once again nature is showing us that for all our combined intellect the answers appear to be already out there and are waiting to be discovered.
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