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Mice See New Hue With Added Gene
Washington Post ^
| Friday, March 23, 2007
| Rick Weiss
Posted on 03/23/2007 10:42:07 AM PDT by null and void
Providing a kaleidoscopic upgrade to creatures that are largely colorblind, scientists have endowed mice with a human gene that allows the rodents to see the world in full Technicolor splendor.
The advance, which relied on imaginative tests to confirm that the mice can perceive all the hues that people see, helps resolve a long-standing debate about how color vision arose in human ancestors tens of millions of years ago. That seminal event brought a host of practical advantages, such as the ability to spot ripe fruit, and unveiled new aesthetic pleasures -- autumn foliage, magenta sunsets and the blush of a potential mate, among them.
The work also points to the possibility of curing some of the millions of colorblind Americans -- and even enhancing the vision of healthy people, allowing them to experience a richer palette than is possible with standard-issue eyes.
"It opens up huge doors to understanding how color vision evolved and where it can go," said Brian C. Verrelli, an evolutionary geneticist who studies color vision at Arizona State University and was not involved in the work, published today in the journal Science.
Mice, like most mammals, have limited color perception, equivalent to that of people with red-green color blindness. Their eyes have two kinds of color detectors, or "cone" cells, each sensitive to a different part of the spectrum.
Unable to differentiate between reds and greens, they see the world as a blend of blues and yellows, with gray overlays added by black-and-white-registering "rod" cells.
By contrast, most people -- along with Old World primates and South and Central American female monkeys -- have three kinds of cones. That gives birth to the vibrant world of reds and a vast repertoire of related colors.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: myeyesmyeyes
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I want my UV vision! (NIR would be nice, too)...
To: null and void
2
posted on
03/23/2007 10:43:15 AM PDT
by
TenthAmendmentChampion
(Pray for our President and for our heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and around the world!)
To: null and void; DaveLoneRanger
3
posted on
03/23/2007 10:44:16 AM PDT
by
TenthAmendmentChampion
(Pray for our President and for our heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and around the world!)
To: TenthAmendmentChampion
4
posted on
03/23/2007 10:46:49 AM PDT
by
null and void
(To Marines, male bonding happens in Boot Camp, to Democrats, it happens at a Gay Pride parade...)
To: null and void
5
posted on
03/23/2007 10:50:59 AM PDT
by
Lijahsbubbe
(Ah don't feeeeel no ways taihrd.)
To: null and void
'squeak! squeak! SQUEAK!'
translation: "oh wow, man - the colors!!!"
6
posted on
03/23/2007 10:52:30 AM PDT
by
camle
(keep your mind open and somebody will fill it full of something for you)
To: null and void
Does it make them more tolerant with mice of color? PC minds want to know!
7
posted on
03/23/2007 10:52:50 AM PDT
by
TommyDale
("Rudy can win the War on Terror!" Perhaps, but for whose side?)
To: null and void
Did they use 3 blind mice as controls?........
8
posted on
03/23/2007 10:54:06 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(If it's consensus, it's not science. If it's science, there's no need for consensus......)
To: null and void
This is Hugh!
9
posted on
03/23/2007 10:54:22 AM PDT
by
itsamelman
(?Announcing your plans is a good way to hear God laugh.? -- Al Swearengen)
To: Red Badger
*ouch*
10
posted on
03/23/2007 10:54:42 AM PDT
by
null and void
(To Marines, male bonding happens in Boot Camp, to Democrats, it happens at a Gay Pride parade...)
To: null and void
11
posted on
03/23/2007 10:55:01 AM PDT
by
freedomlover
(Make sure you're in love - before you move in the heavy stuff)
To: freedomlover
12
posted on
03/23/2007 10:58:33 AM PDT
by
Buck W.
(If you push something hard enough, it will fall over.)
To: null and void
But will they really care?
13
posted on
03/23/2007 11:02:42 AM PDT
by
Terriergal
("I am ashamed that women are so simple To offer war where they should kneel for peace," Shakespeare)
To: null and void
PETA will definitely have something to say about the treatment of these mice. (sarc)
14
posted on
03/23/2007 11:03:28 AM PDT
by
lilylangtree
(Veni, Vidi, Vici)
To: freedomlover
15
posted on
03/23/2007 11:04:33 AM PDT
by
mewzilla
(Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
To: null and void
The work also points to the possibility of curing some of the millions of colorblind Americans -- and even enhancing the vision of healthy people, allowing them to experience a richer palette than is possible with standard-issue eyes.
Big deal. So they gave mice some LSD.
16
posted on
03/23/2007 11:10:26 AM PDT
by
freedomlover
(Make sure you're in love - before you move in the heavy stuff)
To: null and void
Just what we need... A new breed of super mice.
To: null and void
Mice See New Hue With Added GeneHue Jackman? Hue Hefner? Hue Hewitt? Hu E Lewis?
18
posted on
03/23/2007 11:12:30 AM PDT
by
bikerMD
(Beware, the light at the end of the tunnel may be a muzzle flash.)
To: bikerMD
19
posted on
03/23/2007 11:17:10 AM PDT
by
Teacher317
(Are you familiar with the writings of Shan Yu?)
To: null and void
g...what a hue discovery!
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