The reconstructed video incorporates UV light that is invisible to humans.
Animals in the wild must make crucial decisions by detecting moving targets. Their survival can depend on finding prey or evaluating a potential mate and their eyes all perceive colors in nature a little differently. Getting an accurate view of what animals are seeing has been a challenge, but a camera system developed by scientists at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom and George Mason University in Virginia could help ecologists and filmmakers create videos that closely replicate the colors that different animals see in their natural environments. The system is described in a study published January 23 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.
Different photoreceptors in the eyes can affect how we perceive the world around us. Animals including bees, reindeer, and some birds can see ultraviolet (UV) light that human eyes cannot perceive. By reconstructing the colors that we know animals can see, scientists can learn more about how they communicate and navigate the world around them.
