Nanoparticle injections give mice a "night vision" superpower / Boing Boing

Chinese nanotechnologists have injected tiny particles into the eyes of mice, allowing rodents to exhibit an infrared "night vision" that has lasted for months. According to nanoscientist Tian Xue and colleagues from the China University of Science and Technology, this technology could eventually help those who suffer from color blindness and offer "the possibility of close integration into the human body to expand the visual spectrum ". New scientist:

Like humans, mice can not perceive light whose wavelength is greater than 700 nanometers, which is at the red end of the visible spectrum. But nanoparticles absorb light with longer wavelengths in the infrared and convert it to a shorter wavelength than retinal cells can detect. This converted light culminates at a 535 nanometer wavelength, allowing mice to see infrared light in green …

Some mice developed opaque corneas after injection, but they disappeared within two weeks and occurred at a rate similar to that of the control group. The team found no other evidence of damage to the eyes of the mouse two months after the experiment.

The researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Cell: "Visioning images in the near infrared of mammals using injectable and autonomous retinal nanoanthines"

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