The latest advance in the war against hiddenbombs,潜伏cockroachesand illegal immigrants comes straight from the floor of the ocean.Lobsterspossess one of the most uniquevisionsystems in the animal world, and researchers are working on adapting that system toX-rayscanners that will make steel walls about as opaque as tissue paper.
X-rays are a form of electromagnetic energy. The spectrum of electromagnetic energy also includes radio waves and visiblelight. Some materials absorb X-rays, othersreflectthem and others let them pass through,refractingthe beams so that they bend. Refracted X-rays exit the material at a different angle than the one at which they hit.
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A typical X-ray system uses an X-ray generator, which produces a beam of X-rays, and a detection medium (an optic system). To make an image, X-rays are fired at an object. Some of the X-rays pass through the object and are refracted. Other X-rays are absorbed completely, and some are reflected. The detection medium "sees" the X-rays that pass through the object.
这个系统运转良好,但它不是理想。首先,the refracted X-rays are bending at different angles, so it's difficult for the optics to effectively collect and focus them. Second, since the refraction makes the system less efficient, the X-rays have to be pretty high-powered in order for the optics to gather enough energy to form an image. And high-power X-rays aren't the safest thing in the world.
The eyes of humans and other animals also rely on refraction. But not lobsters. The way a lobster perceives light is different, and it's a visual system that's almost entirely unique to crustaceans. So what makes lobster vision so special? Next, find out why the eye of a lobster is a lesson in visual efficiency.
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