Scientists have discovered an inorganic system of vision on a mollusk shell
A section of the shell Acanthopleura granulata
The animal and plant world of our planet has been studied by scientists for thousands of years. But there are still a huge number of secrets and secrets that have yet to be unraveled or discovered. Recently, a team of scientists published the results of a study of the sea mollusk Acanthopleura granulata, the shell of which is covered with hundreds of simple “eyes”. These organs of vision are composed of inorganic substances, and their size is about a tenth of a millimeter. No animal has such a vision system, except for species related to Acanthopleura granulata.
The “eye” shell consists of the same substance as the shell. Inside is a miniature lens, the composition of which is similar to the composition of the shell, but it is already a crystal, a structured substance with a high degree of transparency. The "eyes" are no less durable than the shell itself, while this original vision system warns the mollusk of danger.
The animal can distinguish approaching enemies at a distance of up to two meters, and if danger is noticed, the animal sticks very tightly to the rock, on which it spends most of its life. As mentioned above, similar organs of vision were found in the immediate family of Acanthopleura granulata. To determine the structure of the eyes of the mollusk, scientists used x-ray, microscopy, and computer simulation, which helped explain the principle of the "eyes".
The image of the number “4”, obtained by scientists through the birefringent lens “eyes”
By the way, have recently been publishedInteresting research results on the mantis crayfish communication system. So, scientists have found out that this cancer can polarize light, and other individuals, seeing reflected polarized light (the animal’s eyes are arranged in such a way that it can see this kind of light), do not approach their brother’s habitat. “For birds, color communication is common, there are also many brightly colored animals in the ocean. All of them to one degree or another use this feature for communication. This is a form of communication that we understand. But now we have discovered what is a completely new way of communication in the animal world, ”said Professor Marshall, the scientist leading the study.