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Lizard 'third eye' sheds light on evolution of color vision

The lizard's parietal eye photoreceptors contain two pigments, allowing it to respond to blue and green light in the same cell. This unique mechanism may have been an economical way to detect changes in sunlight during dawn and dusk. The study proposes a 'missing link' between the light-sensing apparatus of lower animals and humans.

SourceJohns Hopkins Medicine·JournalScience·DateApr 14, 2006

One gene provides fruit fly both antenna and color vision

A recent study reveals that a single gene, spineless, controls the development of both the fruit fly's antenna and its color vision. The research, led by Claude Desplan and Ian Duncan, uses Drosophila fruit flies to demonstrate how this gene regulates the retina's structure and function.

SourceWashington University in St. Louis·JournalNature·DateApr 4, 2006
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

Words help deterimine what we see

Researchers found that language affects perception in the right half of the visual field, but not in the left. The study suggests that linguistic differences can sharpen visual distinctions in the right visual field.

SourceUniversity of Chicago·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJan 31, 2006

Evidence for expanded color vision for some colorblind individuals

Researchers found that deuteranomalous individuals can distinguish between colors inaccessible to normal color vision, suggesting a unique color dimension. This discovery challenges the long-held assumption that colorblindness is solely related to reduced color perception.

SourceCell Press·JournalCurrent Biology·DateDec 5, 2005

Bees solve complex colour puzzles

A new UCL study reveals that bees can recognize flowers under different global lights by segmenting scenes into regions of illumination and finding the correct flowers within each region. This strategy suggests that bees use color relationships between objects in a scene to resolve stimulus ambiguity, a challenge also faced by humans.

SourceUniversity College London·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 31, 2005
GoPro HERO13 Black

GoPro HERO13 Black records stabilized 5.3K video for instrument deployments, field notes, and outreach, even in harsh weather and underwater conditions.

Creating and supporting family therapists of color

A program recruiting and supporting family therapists of color helps increase diversity among students and faculty. The initiative incorporates mentorships, community partnerships, and long-term institutional commitment to foster a more diverse and inclusive field.

SourceBlackwell Publishing Ltd.·JournalFamily Process·DateAug 5, 2005
SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Neuroscientists locate 'imaginary' colors

Researchers found that grapheme-color synesthetes see reported colors and experience activation in color-selective brain regions. Stronger color perception was linked to better behavioral performance.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalNeuron·DateMar 23, 2005

Colour profile exposes stolen gems

Researchers use microspectrometry to map the unique color patterns of individual gems, revealing differences even among same-type stones. This technique could provide valuable information for gemstone authentication and potential recovery of stolen stones.

SourceNew Scientist·DateMar 9, 2005

Cells don festive holiday colors

Scientists have developed a range of new fluorescent proteins with unique colors, allowing them to track the effects of multiple genetic alterations in a single cell. These monomeric proteins retain fluorescent properties while being less toxic than their multimeric counterparts, enabling precise cellular analysis.

SourceHoward Hughes Medical Institute·JournalNature Biotechnology·DateDec 22, 2004

My favourite aunt is purple

A study by Dr. Jamie Ward reveals that synaesthesia is not about detecting hidden emotions, but rather a brain-created response to stimuli. Researchers found that people with the condition associate words and names with specific colours, including pink for positive emotions and brown for negative ones.

SourceUniversity College London·JournalCognitive Neuropsychology·DateOct 18, 2004
Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter is a trusted meter for precise measurements during instrument integration, repairs, and field diagnostics.

Cassini VIMS team finds that Phoebe may be kin to comets

Researchers analyzed Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer data, revealing water ice, minerals, and unidentifiable materials on Phoebe's surface. This suggests a possible connection between Phoebe and comets, supporting the idea that it may be similar to Kuiper Belt Objects.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·DateJun 23, 2004

Vision: how perceptions survive in the face of ambiguity

Researchers found that visual perception can stabilize in ambiguous conditions, independent of the memory of object identity. The mechanism underlying this stabilization is linked to the removal of local adaptation and depends on the stimulus location.

SourceCell Press·JournalCurrent Biology·DateJun 7, 2004

Food displays, food colors affect how much people eat

A study by Brian Wansink found that adults offered six colored flavors of jellybeans ate 69% more than when the colors were each placed in separate bowls. The perception of variety stimulates how much people consume. Consumers can curb overeating by avoiding multiple bowls of the same food and arranging foods into organized patterns.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateMay 10, 2004

Portable 'rainbow' source improves color calibrations

NIST's new portable 'rainbow' source enables precise color calibration across the entire visible light spectrum, addressing uncertainty in instruments measuring ocean and atmospheric properties. The highly portable source has been ordered by NOAA to reduce uncertainties in satellite calibrations.

SourceNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)·DateApr 23, 2004
Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Human senses not distinct, but interact in many ways, studies show

A recent study on sensory interaction found that the brain amplifies information from sight and smell when they fit together well, leading to a stronger perception of odors. Additionally, research on blind individuals revealed that their sense of touch is not inferior to sighted people's, contrary to popular belief.

SourceSociety for Neuroscience·DateNov 10, 2003

Racial-ethnic pride and academic achievement linked

A study by Dr. Emilie Phillips Smith found that family, school, and community factors play a significant role in shaping children's racial-ethnic attitudes and academic achievement. The research used interviews and questionnaires to assess the attitudes of African American child and parent pairs in South Carolina.

SourcePenn State·JournalAmerican Journal of Community Psychology·DateOct 17, 2003

Birds do it. Bugs do it. But why don't we?

Research by University of Michigan biologist Jianzhi Zhang found that humans lost pheromone signals after a gene duplication event around 23 million years ago. This duplication allowed for the development of color vision, making pheromones unnecessary as a channel for sexual signaling.

SourceUniversity of Michigan·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 16, 2003

Color key to presentation of understandable scientific data

A Penn State cartographer emphasizes the importance of careful color choices in visual representation to reveal relationships and patterns in complex data. An online web tool, ColorBrewer, provides pre-designed color palettes that cater to color blindness and are suitable for various mediums.

SourcePenn State·DateFeb 14, 2003
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)

Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) runs demanding GIS, imaging, and annotation workflows on the go for surveys, briefings, and lab notebooks.

Kaleidescope eyes: the secrets of a novel gift

Synaesthetes have an extra layer of information that helps with rote memory and creativity. The University of Melbourne team used Magnetic Resonance Imaging to analyze brain images of synaesthetes, revealing the secrets of how their brains function.

SourceUniversity of Melbourne·DateApr 15, 2002

2 is orange but 'two' is blue

A study at Vanderbilt University found that an adult male with synesthesia consistently matched colors to words and numbers, even when the letters or numbers were presented separately. The researchers also found that his synesthetic colors acted like real colors in certain tests.

SourceVanderbilt University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 18, 2002

New portable device senses chemical weapons

Researchers at the University of Delaware have developed a portable detection platform that can detect chemical and biological weapons using infrared spectroscopy. The device, about the size of a large shoebox, can identify even small amounts of agents in solid, liquid or vapor phases.

SourceUniversity of Delaware·DateDec 3, 2001

Antique device makes microscope faster

The Utrecht spectrograph uses a prism to disperse light, resulting in faster pictures with reduced light loss. Researchers used it to study proteins from muscle tissue and discovered unexpected chemical reactions triggered by illumination.

SourceNetherlands Organization for Scientific Research·DateNov 26, 2001
Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only)

Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only) delivers reliable low-light performance and rugged build for astrophotography, lab documentation, and field expeditions.

Quantum dot DNA test

A new DNA test developed by researchers at Indiana University uses quantum dots to quickly and accurately analyze large numbers of genes. The test can identify up to 40,000 different genetic codes in just 10 minutes, making it a game-changer for medical diagnosis and research.

SourceWhitaker Foundation·JournalNature Biotechnology·DateJul 16, 2001

Study: Information on the web is likely correct, but hard to find

A study by Ohio State University scholars found that 27% of Web pages listed correct answers to library reference questions, while 9% contained incorrect answers. The researchers suggest evaluating source credibility and supplementing with other resources for more accurate information.

SourceOhio State University·JournalReference & User Services Quarterly·DateDec 2, 1999

Shedding light on the origin of primate color vision

Scientists have found evidence that trichromatic or full color vision originated in prosimians, a group of lemurs, Bush Babies and pottos, rather than in higher primates. The new research pushes the origin of primate color vision back roughly 20 million years to about 55 million years ago.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Medical Center·JournalNature·DateNov 3, 1999
Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor tracks ventilation quality in labs, classrooms, and conference rooms with long battery life and clear e-ink readouts.

The lie of the tiger

Researchers at USC and UC Irvine have discovered two independent brain pathways that process visual information, highlighting the importance of integrating color and motion. The 'Third Order' system is found to be critical for detecting pure color motion, allowing humans to perceive movement in 'isoluminant' images.

SourceUniversity of Southern California·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJul 5, 1999

Blue light special

Gallium Nitride (GaN) systems enable smaller, brighter, longer-lasting light-emitting diodes with increased data storage-density. The Navy is interested in these blue-light emitters for microwave amplifiers and highly efficient white-light emitters.

SourceOffice of Naval Research·DateJul 1, 1999

Colors Composed By Brain, Not Eyes

Cornell University psychologist Romi Nijhawan's experiment shows that the brain can decompose yellow into its constituent red and green based on motion of the stimulus. Human retinas cannot sense motion on their own, but the brain uses a process called motion extrapolation to correct for this delay.

SourceCornell University·DateApr 8, 1997