Latest Visual system Stories

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Everybody has heard about echolocation in bats and dolphins. These creatures emit bursts of sounds and listen to the echoes that bounce back to detect objects in their environment. What is less well known is that people can echolocate, too. In fact, there are blind people who have learned to make clicks with their mouths and to use the returning echoes from those clicks to sense their surroundings. Some of these people are so adept at echolocation that they can use this...

Harmful to humans, but life-saving for artic reindeer, ultraviolet light is a unique adaptation to the extreme artic environment in which reindeer live, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology."We discovered that reindeer can not only see ultraviolet light but they can also make sense of the image to find food and stay safe," says lead researcher Professor Glen Jeffery of University College London. "Humans and almost all other mammals could never do this as our...

Researchers may have found the science behind the effects of precision-tinted lenses on reducing headaches for migraine sufferers, which could significantly help improve treatment options for the debilitating condition.Led by Jie Huang of Michigan State University's Department of Radiology, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to show how "precision-tinted lenses normalize brain activity" in migraine headaches, helping to prevent attacks.The study revealed how colored...

Our brain's understanding of spatial awareness is not triggered by sight alone, scientists have found, in a development that could help design technology for the visually impairedOur brain's understanding of spatial awareness is not triggered by sight alone, scientists have found, in a development that could help design technology for the visually impaired.Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found that our brain can use other senses "“ such as touch "“ to help us understand...

Precision tinted lenses have been used widely to reduce visual perceptual distortions in poor readers, and are increasingly used for migraine sufferers, but until now the science behind these effects has been unclear. Now research published in the journal Cephalalgia, published by SAGE, uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for the first time to suggest a neurological basis for these visual remedies.The new research shows how coloured glasses tuned to each migraine sufferer work...

Echolocation in bats and dolphins is well known. Bursts of sounds are created and the echoes that bounce back are used to locate and detect objects in the environment. What is less well known is that people can echolocate, too.Blind people have been known to learn to make clicks with their mouths and to use the returning echoes from those clicks to sense their surroundings. Some of these people are so adept at echolocation that they can use this skill to go mountain biking, play basketball,...

Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases that affect millions worldwide."We are...

BOSTON, May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal...

In the wild, mammals survive because they can see and evade predators lurking in the shadowy bushes.That ability translates to the human world. Transportation Security Administration screeners can pick out dangerous objects in an image of our messy and stuffed suitcases. We get out of the house every morning because we find our car keys on that cluttered shelf next to the door.This ability to recognize target objects surrounded by distracters is one of the remarkable functions of our nervous...

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. ("ACT"; OTCBB: ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today first quarter financial results for the period ended March 31, 2011. The Company reported a loss from operations of $(4.8) million compared to a loss from operations of $(15.0) million in the 2010 first quarter. ACT reported a net loss of $(3.3) million or $(0.00) per share, compared to a loss in the same period in 2010 of...