Screen LibraryEyes to see : the astonishing variety of vision in nature /
"Vision is the sense by which we and other animals obtain most of our information about the world around us. Darwin appreciated that at first sight it seems absurd that the human eye could have evolved by natural selection. But we now know far more about vision, the many times it has independen...
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| Main Authors: | |
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| Published: |
Oxford University Press,
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| Publisher Address: | Oxford, United Kingdom : |
| Publication Dates: | 2018. |
| Literature type: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: | |
| Summary: |
"Vision is the sense by which we and other animals obtain most of our information about the world around us. Darwin appreciated that at first sight it seems absurd that the human eye could have evolved by natural selection. But we now know far more about vision, the many times it has independently evolved in nature, and the astonishing variety of ways to see. The human eye, with a lens forming an image on a sensitive retina, represents just one. Scallops, shrimps, and lobsters all use mirrors in different ways. Jumping spiders scan with their front-facing eyes to check whether the object in front is an insect to eat, another spider to mate with, or a predator to avoid. Mantis shrimps can even measure the polarization of light. Animal eyes are amazing structures, often involving precision optics and impressive information processing, mainly using wet protein - not the substance an engineer would choose for such tasks. Michael Land, one of the leading world experts on vision, explores the varied ways in which sight has evolved and is used in the natural world, and describes some of the ingenious experiments researchers have used to uncover its secrets. He also discusses human vision, including his experiments on how our eye movements help us to do everyday tasks, as well as skilled ones such as sight-reading music or driving. Finally, he considers how the constantly shifting images from our eyes are converted in the brain into the steady and integrated conscious view of the world we experience" -- publisher. |
| Carrier Form: | vii, 198 pages, 6 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: |
9780198747710 0198747713 |
| Index Number: | QL949 |
| CLC: | Q436 |
| Call Number: | Q436/L253-2 |
| Contents: | Early eyes -- Compound eyes and insect vision -- Vision in the ocean -- Establishing identity -- Where do people look? -- The mind's eye -- The evolution of vision. |