Researchers have created new camera technology that shows the world as animals see it, The Washington Post reports.
Besides being pretty cool, the technique is useful for scientists,
helping them study animals that see outside the visible light spectrum
to which humans are limited. Flowers, in particular, often produce
signals for pollinators that are visible only in the ultraviolet (UV)
range. The image above shows a narrow-leaved bugloss as a human would
see it (left) and as a honeybee would (right). The center of the flower
absorbs UV light whereas the ends of the petals reflect it. The software
works in part by meshing together photos taken using UV filters and
regular color filters. A number of animals can see in the UV light
spectrum, including insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and some fish
and mammals. A new study in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution describes the software, which is available for free online.
http://www.jolyon.co.uk/myresearch/image-analysis/image-analysis-tools/
