Science has done some pretty questionable things under the guise of bettering the world, but I think we can all agree that sticking 3D glasses to cuttlefish so they can watch movies of fake shrimp has got to be the worst.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have managed to prove that cuttlefish have stereoscopic vision by making them watch movies through 3D glasses. Stereoscopic vision is why humans, and many other animals, have depth perception. The brain interprets two, slightly different images from the right and left eye to provide the three-dimensional view of the world around you. These scientists wanted to know if cuttlefish, with eyes that move independently of one another, see things the same way.
Turns out, they do.
The 3D glasses were stuck to the heads of the cuttlefish using Velcro and then the scientists played them a movie of moving shrimp shapes. The “shrimp” was made up of two slightly offset images in different colours, with each eye of the cuttlefish only seeing one colour, thanks to the glasses. This way, the scientists could make the shrimp appear closer or further away depending how far apart the two images were. The cuttlefish then adjusted its attack distance depending on where it thought the shrimp was, proving that they also have stereoscopic vision.
But.. why?
Apparently, this sort of research might help improve machine vision employed by things like drones and security cameras. Also: SCIENCE!
Via CNET.