The Informational Zip Line
April 21, 2017 9:42 AM Subscribe
The Buena Vista Hypothesis: the ancient creatures who first crawled onto land may have been lured by the informational benefit that comes from seeing through air.
The increased visual range provided an “informational zip line” that alerted the ancient animals to bountiful food sources near the shore
mathematical models that explore how the increase in information available to air-dwelling creatures would have manifested itself, over the eons, in an increase in eye size.
So now we know, when we're aero, our eyes become large and the food on the shore can be seen. BA-BAAY
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:37 AM on April 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
mathematical models that explore how the increase in information available to air-dwelling creatures would have manifested itself, over the eons, in an increase in eye size.
So now we know, when we're aero, our eyes become large and the food on the shore can be seen. BA-BAAY
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:37 AM on April 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
So first the eyes go to the top of the head, and then they get bigger, and then the creatures come out of the water. And then the eyes go down to the side for land prey, and down to the front for land predators. But if you're going down to the sand at the bottom of the water instead of up out of it, the eyes both go to the same side of the head.
Wandering eyes, eh?
I wonder if there are any common genetic pathways at all in all this eye movement, or if each move evolved by a different mechanism.
Of course every theory has gotta have a counter-example. In this case, it's the colossal squid, which has eyes 11 inches across.
posted by clawsoon at 10:48 AM on April 21, 2017
Wandering eyes, eh?
I wonder if there are any common genetic pathways at all in all this eye movement, or if each move evolved by a different mechanism.
Of course every theory has gotta have a counter-example. In this case, it's the colossal squid, which has eyes 11 inches across.
posted by clawsoon at 10:48 AM on April 21, 2017
« Older Investigative theatre with black gay and bi, HIV+... | Living by the Girl Scout Law, Even Without a Home Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
(o)--(o) / -- \ \________/ _/ -- \_ / | | \ \/|\ /|\/ ______________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ /"*._ _ .-*'` `*-.._.-'/ < * )) , ( `*-._`._(__.--*"`.\posted by leotrotsky at 10:26 AM on April 21, 2017 [1 favorite]