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ZAF Press: Why Salamanders stop at traffic lights...

W

wes

Guest
<font color="0000ff">Dear Caudate Friends: The following item is w-a-y too complicated for this old soldier, but it had the most intriguing title of any press item I've seen for a while! The item does however reinforce the fact that salamanders contribute significantly to medical research, and thus, should be protected in nature where and when we find them, as best we can. respects all, Wes</font>}

<u>THE INDEPENDENT</u> (Johannesburg, S Africa) 11 October 06 Why Salamanders stop at traffic lights...
Paris (AFP): Salamanders may use a derivative of the vegetal molecule chlorophyll to help them see red, a study published on Thursday in the British science journal <u>Nature</u> says.
Ophthalmologists took rod cells - the photosensitive cells that stud the retina - from tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) to test their response to various frequencies of light.
When the cells were incubated with chlorin e6, a pigment that derives from chlorophyll, their sensitivity to red light was boosted 180 fold.
Previous research has found that a deep-sea fish called the dragon fish uses chlorophyll to get its green-receptor cells to detect red.
Chlorin "is a pigment derived from plants, it's not made in animals, so it must be taken in," said lead researcher Clint Makino of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.
The new research was conducted on cells in a lab dish to prove chlorin e6's role as a photosensitiser.
The next step is to see whether salamanders or other vertebrates in fact actually do this presumed trick.
The findings could have a potential technological outlet, in red-light photodetectors, said Makino. Red light penetrates fog well, whereas white light tends to scatter.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=qw1160589781423S312
 
J

jennifer

Guest
Wow, salamanders and vision research, two of my favorite topics! What a bizarre discovery!
 
A

alberto

Guest
Wow that is incredible! That is what I love about science, research and discoveries!
Wes Once again thank you
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