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photoreception: Media
biology
Videos
Discover how scientists have recreated the benefits of insects' compound eyes as compound lenses
Mosquito vision serves as inspiration for an artificial compound eye.
Video: © American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Images
details of the mammalian eye
The mammalian eye has a cornea and a lens and functions as a dioptric system, in...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
optical arrangements of eyes among nocturnal, arhythmic, and diurnal animals
The optical arrangements of eyes differ among nocturnal, arhythmic, and diurnal animals.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
details of the lenses in opossum eyes
The almost spherical lenses in opossum eyes ensure high light-gathering ability at...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
opossum
Nocturnal animals, such as opossums, have eyes with large, nearly spherical lenses.
© Geoffrey Kuchera/Dreamstime.com
chambered nautilus
The chambered nautilus (Nautilus) has eyes that are large, about 10 mm (0.39...
Douglas Faulkner
true octopus
True octopuses (genus Octopus) have lens eyes that contain photoreceptors...
Beckmannjan
image formation in apposition and superposition eyes
Apposition eyes have short ommatidia, each of which focuses on only a small area...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
back swimmer
Back swimmers (genus Notonecta) have eyes capable of detecting the plane...
Jane Burton/Bruce Coleman Ltd.
photoreceptor; rod and cone
Rods and cones are photoreceptive cells located in the retina of the eye. The outer...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
diagram of the structure of the retina
A diagram of the structure of the retina. Conditions affecting the retina can impair...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
diagram of information flow in eye movement control
Visual tracking employs feedback loops that function to keep the eyes on a target...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
functional areas of the human brain
Functional areas of the human brain.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
steps in the evolution of the eye in living mollusk species
Steps in the evolution of the eye as reflected in the range of eye complexity in...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
trilobite fossil
Trilobites had compound eyes with lenses made of the mineral calcite.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
horseshoe crab
The horseshoe crab (genus Limulus) has compound eyes that appear to have...
Runk/Schoenberger—Grant Heilman/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
“glowing” cat eyes
“Glowing” cat eyes showing the tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina...
© MegaV0lt—iStock/Getty Images
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