Late in life, Claude Monet had surgery to remove the lens of his left eye as a remedy for cataracts, and found that as the lens was no longer blocking them,
he could now see ultraviolet light.* When Alek Komarnitsky, engineer and self professed geek,
had the natural lens replaced in one of his eyes due to cataracts, he found that he, too could see UV. Naturally, he decided to test the limits of his newfound ability, and to show others
what it's like to have ultraviolet vision.
(*via Kottke)
posted by ocherdraco
on Apr 17, 2012 -
39 comments
The Nature of Light and Color in the Open Air "Moreover, this book is written for all those who love Nature; for the young people going out into the wide world and gathering together round the camp-fire; for the painter who admires but does not understand the light and colour of the landscape; for those living in the country; for all who delight in travelling; and also for town-dwellers, for whom, even in the noise and clamour of our dark streets, the manifestations of Nature remain." - Marcel Minnaert
[more inside]
posted by jquinby
on Dec 23, 2008 -
17 comments
Light makes a comeback. “New technologies — more sophisticated imaging techniques, fluorescent molecules that act as beacons of light in the cell, and the computing power to gather and stitch together multiple images and create videos from high-powered microscopes — make it possible to harness one of light’s key advantages: gentleness. Unlike higher-resolution techniques, light microscopes can image biological structures without killing them or chemically fixing them. At Harvard, the resurgence of light microscopy is making it possible to see structures and events that have never before been seen in the context of living cells and organisms.” Also don't miss the
video samples of “in vivo” imagining.
posted by Frankieist
on Apr 19, 2008 -
12 comments
"The trick to education is to teach people in such a way that they don't realize they're learning until it's too late."Fluorescein-dyed water appears suspended in midair, only to "flow" upwards moments later. The careful dance of a splashing drop is frozen and taken for granted, painstakingly analyzed in a brilliant defiance of how water should behave. Such is the wonder of what modder Nate True calls his
Time Fountain (YouTube embedded & worth it)—a well-documented, DIY version of classic science center favorite, the
Water Piddler. MIT's own
Strobe Alley is lined with photos created using the same technology, pioneered by
Harold Eugene Edgerton, a professor whose work you're almost
certainly familiar with. Naturally, some beautiful pieces have followed under the same ideal, courtesy
Martin Waugh.
posted by disillusioned
on Aug 8, 2006 -
14 comments
THAT'S a speeding ticket... Scientists push light up to 300 times the SPEED OF LIGHT.
I just got a floaty-glowy feeling. Some interesting interesting stuff is happening in our world.
My favorite quote from the article: "That is so fast that, under these peculiar circumstances, the main part of the pulse exits the far side of the chamber even before it enters at the near side. "
[Note: link is for NYT, free registration req'd]
posted by cCranium
on May 30, 2000 -
12 comments
