I LOVE this shit. Ever since first seeing SEM on I think it was 3-2-1- Contact! on PBS. I have a friend who bought 2 used one for pennies on the dollar.
If my recall is right, the facets at the first level are the ommatidia, each a ‘pixel’ of the visual field. Those white dots at the deepest zoom must be texture on each ommatidium’s corneal surface.
I could watch videos like this all day long. Especially on bugs. So much complexity there that we miss normally.
Best eye kills best.
It’s pretty but are you sure it is correct? My recollection is that (at least in Drosophila, which is related; both are diptera) each facet corresponds to one ommatidium, each of which contains 8 photoreceptor cells plus a few supporting cells. This simulation seems to imply (starting around 45 sec) the existence of another layer, containing thousands of elements in a hexagonal array, under each facet. I don’t think that’s correct. If I am right, the video vastly exaggerates the complexity of the insect eye. Any experts on insect neuroanatomy out there?
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