Human Vision Can Sense a Single Photon

Institute for Creation Research ^ | 8-8-16 | Brian Thomas

[fishtank]

Human Vision Can Sense a Single Photon

by Brian Thomas, M.S. *

How well designed is the human visual system? Biophysics researchers from the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Austria and Rockefeller University recently demonstrated that people can see just a single photon of light. This led them to ask how evolution could have crafted a visual system sophisticated enough to overcome the overwhelming problem of discerning single photons from the sea of electromagnetic, molecular, and electrochemical "noise" inside a human head.

[Right Wing Assault]

When I was 10, I had a spinthariscope that came with my Chemcraft chemistry kit. I was under the impression that these allowed me to see a single photon in 1957.

https://www.unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_12&products_id=506

[Redcitizen]

They look different under the neon light at closing time versus morning light.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

And at night all cats are Gray.

Not necessarily so.

I was born with ambliopia which causes the person so afflicted to loose the central vision in one eye. Central vision is the result of light receptors, known as cones, when stimulated , they report colors to the brain which fades to black as the light dims. The remainder of the retina is populated with receptors, known as rods, which respond to dim colored light. The brain react to this as dim white light.

When you step outside from a brightly lit room on a dark night your ability to see anything is compromised because your irises are contracted to their smallest aperture. If you have ambliopia your eyes are preset to respond to very dim light as a white image. You can also capture images of movement which otherwise is not perceptible.

Such images will blink out as soon as you look in a different direction.

This phenomena often results in seeing 'ghosts'

Regards,
GtG

[Larry Lucido]

I can sense a single wonton.

[DUMBGRUNT]

Thank you, I find that very interesting.
I have some kin that are Ophthalmologists, they enjoy talking about this sort of thing!
All I have to do is get them started and everyone is happy!

And at night all cats are Gray, is a reference to Benjamin Franklin’s (IN)famous letter to a friend.

http://www.everipedia.com/Advice_to_a_Friend_on_Choosing_a_Mistress/

[DannyTN]

LOL, yeah I supposed they do.

[Yardstick]

Yeah well I can sense a single futon.