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The earliest eyes on Earth
Author(s) -
Ascaso F.J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2017.03671
Subject(s) - creatures , gloom , precambrian , fossil record , paleontology , clarity , astrobiology , geology , history , biology , natural (archaeology) , biochemistry , neuroscience
Summary Vision had to start somewhere. During the Precambrian Era, life existed in a quiet gloom where most creatures were blind. There was no need to be camouflaged, warn off predators or seduce a partner with bright patterns. Then, at the beginning of the “Cambrian Explosion”, 540 million years ago, life opened its eyes. Given the tremendous adaptive advantage conferred by sharp vision for avoiding predators and locating food, there must have been tremendous evolutionary pressure to elaborate and refine visual organs. Through well‐preserved Cambrian fossils (Trilobites, Anomalocaris and Fuxianhuia protensa ) we will see the evolution of vision through the world's oldest eyes. With very well‐developed compound eyes, these earliest animals had a complex visual system. With up to 16,000 lenses in each eye, some of these animals saw their world with exceptional clarity whilst hunting in well‐lit waters. Only a few arthropods, such as modern predatory dragonflies, have similar resolution. We will show extraordinary fossils to reveal exquisite details about the earliest eyes on Earth.