The night gecko is one of the few living creatures capable of seeing in color in the dark . The secret to its privileged night vision lies in a series of concentric zones in its optical system whose structure could be used as a model to develop better cameras and lenses, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Vision .
"We are interested in geckos and other lizards because, unlike other vertebrates, they have only cones in their retina – and not rods and cones like humans -", explains Lina Roth, a biologist at Lund University in Sweden and co-author of the research. Analyzing the reptile's optical system, Lind and his team have calculated that it has a sensitivity 350 times greater than the human eye to perceive colors . This is possible thanks to a multifocal system that allows light beams of different wavelengths to be directed simultaneously towards the retina. In addition, this same system allows them to focus on objects at very different distances , which could serve as inspiration for developing multifocal contact lenses , suggests Lind.
