from the it-can-only-be-stopped-with-the-power-of-white-gold,-Thomas dept.
EDITOR NOTE: previous submission was missing the primary article...wups...
A fossil unearthed in 112-million-year old Cretaceous-period rock by a South Korean high school fossil hunter named Kye-Soo Nam contains something unusual - glowing spider eye tissue.
Though common today, spiders don’t appear much in the fossil record because their soft bodies don’t preserve well, according to the paper published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
additionally
This is...the first time that the reflective eye tissue of a spider has been found in a fossil.
researchers indicated the reflective tissue was the 'tapetum'
which the eyes of some animals (but not humans) use for seeing in dim light. It’s why pets and other mammals often have bright, laser-like eyes in photos taken with flash.
Random Info: The Tapetum Lucidem is a layer of cells behind the retina that reflects light back increasing the chances that it stimulates a photoreceptor. This is why it improves night vision.
The High School student Kye-Soo Nam is listed as one of the authors on the paper. Well done.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @05:23AM (3 children)
In terms of coolness, with each being about an order of magnitude less cool than the last:
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @09:25AM
It's reflection (I RTFA).
The proof however is worth discussion. They find a similar structure in the fossil and a chemical markup that could be this tissue. What I wonder is how they link this chemical markup to this tissue, as the specimen has been fossilized (as in: turned to rock). Things like DNA (and other biomolecualr compounds) have been proven to be mostly degraded over that amount of time. Isn't this the case with this tissue?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 14 2019, @10:25AM (1 child)
Phosphorescent or fluorescent eyes would be a flashlight, this is passive night vision and thus superior technology for some purposes, like stalking prey in the dark.
Arachnids are very cool. They were here long before we came and I bet they will be here long after we're gone.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday February 14 2019, @07:28PM
Arachnids are very cool, you're right, but I was a bit disappointed that this one was not 3 metres long, and caught pterodactyls in it's web.
Can't have everything I suppose.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Thursday February 14 2019, @06:31AM
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Thursday February 14 2019, @06:11PM
Years ago I went canoeing on a tributary of the Rio Negro* in Brasil at night.
The sky was clear and the moon was full so there was plenty of light to navigate by. Since the river was still mid flood stage we were able to go under the tree canopy without getting out of the canoes. I remember it became so dark you couldn't see anything, you could only hear the sound of the water going by.
When I turned on my torch the trees all around for as far as the light reached were covered by literally thousands of tiny shining points of green light. My guide told me then that the green dots are spider's eyes, if you see a red dot its a crocodile or Caimans (a small species of crocodile).
Creepiest and most awesome part of the trip. Even the pair of 3 meter crocodiles we encountered later didn't come close to seeing those spider eyes.
*One of the two big rivers that merge to form the true "Amazon River" near Manaus, Brasil
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."