Science Art: Deep Sea Angler, by Justin Marshall, QBI.
This is a photograph taken off Osprey Reef by researchers with the Sensory Neurology Group of the Queensland Brain Institute. No, not marine biologists – but scientists trying to find out how sight evolved. Where else but the lightless deep to investigate the origins of vision? Things glow down there. And, more importantly, they use senses other than sight to get around. Those spots on the anglerfish’s side, they’re vibrational sensors. It uses them to detect the tiny motions made by living things, like invisible auras in the water 4,000 feet down.
Next month, the QBI team is traveling to a trench off Peru to see what else they can find. See?
Photo credit: Justin Marshall, Queensland Brain Institute. More images and information here and here.
Tags: marine biology, neurology
