Light on butterfly mating

Article Abstract:

The P1 pair of genital photoreceptor neurons is essential for correct positioning of the male and female genitals during copulation in the Japanese yellow swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus. Heat ablation of P1 decreases the number of successful copulations in males, but has no effect in females. The correct alignment blocks light and the P1 responses drops. This drop informs the males that the genitalia are properly positioned. Some males lacking P1 are able to copulate, probably, due to the use of mechanical sense for alignment or activity of the P2 photoreceptors.

Sexual behavior, Butterflies, Sexual intercourse, Photoreceptors

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Sound, light and the vacuum

Article Abstract:

Claudia Eberlein's theory on sonoluminescence perceives light emission due to collapse of liquid bubbles as a vacuum radiation phenomenon related to the Casimir effect. The fast acceleration of the bubble's dielectric boundary transforms vacuum fluctuations into radiation. The interaction of the dielectric with the quantized electromagnetic field produces photon-pairs with individual photon modes having excess noise characteristic resembling thermal light. The theory's attractiveness lies in its use of non-linear optics and conventional quantum field theory.

Sonoluminescence, Bubbles

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Vision in dim light

Article Abstract:

Two phenomena linked with the lack of retinal rods in the fovea were observed when testing vision in very dim light. A bright straight line was seen as discontinuous with a clear 1 deg gap, and a swarm of colourless scintillations was perceived when light was blocked to one eye. It was concluded that line completion will not occur across the foveal scotoma under conditions of rod vision.

Process control instruments, Process Vision & Perception Sensors, Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables, Computer vision, Practice, Vision research

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