Evolve

marco_polo

Caught this new series this evening on the history channel, first episode on the evolution of the eye. Very interesting stuff. Repeating next saturday at 8.00.

What use is half an eye (Or a load of photo-sensitive cells)? Ask the Jellyfish which can percieve 'colours' (or differentiate between different wavelenghts of light at any rate).

It finds green (the colour of its home, the ocean floor) very relaxing, purple not so much

http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/tv_guide/full_details/World_history/programme_785.php


Skin is the next topic up next Sunday.

Nothingcompares

thanks must try and catch this

Capt'n Midnight

marco_polo wrote:

What use is half an eye .

Euglena is a SINGLE celled organism. It has an "eyespot" organelle and uses it to orientate itself to light.

Volvox and other green algae also have eyespots.

The ability to detect light is useful, I'd guess that some organisms can't event tell that there is more light from one side or the other but if they rotate as they move then they could still travel towards the light. For higher organisms the ability to detect rapid changes in light levels would be a signal to keep still in case there were moving predators around. Beyond that having better eyes than the neighbours would be no disadvantage.

marco_polo

Thanks Capt'n Midnight

0utpost31

But how did our eyes just "appear" out of nowhere like 5000 years ago.



















Just kidding.

marco_polo

The human eye ain't even all that, the Dragonfly has 28,999 more lenses. Sweet :cool:

Galvasean

This topic just about barely fits into the subject palaeontology as it is. If people persist in just using it as a means to crack jokes I may as well close it.

Dave!

If you're gonna close it, then move it to the Atheism & Agnosticism forum, as those lads love evolution, etc. I'll start a thread there otherwise

Looks (HAHAHAHA!!!) awesome, I hope it appears online at some point because I'm working on Saturday night

Galvasean

Thread moved to A&A with Dades' permission.

Should get a better response here.

AtomicHorror

I'll have to get it by some other means, I don't get History Channel. Sounds like a decent show though.

Weidii

Galvasean wrote: »

This topic just about barely fits into the subject palaeontology as it is. If people persist in just using it as a means to crack jokes I may as well close it.

:eek:

There's a palaeontology forum?!

*gone*