This was supposed to be a short, simple post about how brittle stars use their skeletons to help them see. It turns out, however, that the brittle stars have misled us, and what we thought we knew twenty years ago has been overturned by new observations. The question of what and how various creatures see … Continue reading Do Sea Stars See? — What is biophysics? #11
The realization that electromagnetic waves are quantized — that light interacts in discrete packets — marked the beginning of quantum mechanics. Whether this fundamental attribute of the physical world sets the performance limits of human vision is a fascinating biophysical question. It’s so fascinating that Bill Bialek’s excellent graduate-level biophysics textbook begins with it, and … Continue reading Can you see single photons? — What is biophysics? #6
A few weeks ago, I came across a fascinating review article in Science with the instantly compelling title, Poor human olfaction is a 19th-century myth [1]. Like most people, I’ve been told that compared to many other animals, humans aren’t very good at smelling. Apparently this isn’t true, and stems more from 19th century notions of … Continue reading You smell fine
The Eighteenth Elephant 