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Scientists say they have been able to "provide night vision" to mice, allowing them to see infrared light with minimal side effects.
The research could lead to advances in human infrared vision technologies, including potential applications in civil encryption, security and military operations, scientists said.
According to the study published in the journal Cell, a single injection of nanoparticles in the eyes of the mouse confers an infrared vision up to 10 weeks with minimal side effects, which allows them to see the infrared light even during the day and with enough specificity to distinguish different types of mice. forms.
Humans and other mammals are limited to viewing a range of wavelengths of light called visible light, which includes the wavelengths of the rainbow.
Infrared radiation, which has a longer wavelength, is all around us. People, animals and objects emit infrared light when they emit heat. Objects can also reflect infrared light.
"The visible light that can be perceived by the natural vision of man occupies only a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum," said Tian Xue of the University of Science and Technology from China.
"Electromagnetic waves longer or shorter than visible light contain a lot of information," Xue said.
"When light enters the eye and strikes the retina, rods and cones – or photoreceptor cells – absorb photons with visible light wavelengths and send corresponding electrical signals to the brain." said Gang Han of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the United States.
"Because infrared wavelengths are too long to be absorbed by photoreceptors, we are not able to perceive them," said Hans.
Scientists have made nanoparticles capable of anchoring tightly to photoreceptor cells and acting as tiny infrared light transducers.
When infrared light strikes the retina, the nanoparticles capture the longest infrared wavelengths and emit shorter wavelengths in the visible light range.
The nearby rod or cone then absorbs the shorter wavelength and sends a normal signal to the brain, as if visible light had reached the retina.
The researchers tested the nanoparticles in mice that, like humans, can not see the infrared naturally.
The injected mice showed unconscious physical signs of infrared light detection, such as the constriction of their pupils, whereas mice injected only with the buffer solution did not respond to infrared light.
To test whether the mice could interpret infrared light, the researchers developed a series of labyrinth tasks to show the mouse that she could see the infrared in the light of day, simultaneously with the light visible.
In rare cases, injection-related side effects, such as opaque corneas, have occurred but have disappeared within a week.
"We believe that this technology will also work in human eyes, not only to generate super vision, but also for therapeutic solutions for deficits of red color vision in humans," said Xue.
Current infrared technology relies on detectors and cameras often limited by daylight and needing external power sources.
Researchers believe that bio-integrated nanoparticles are more desirable for potential infrared applications in civil encryption, security and military operations.
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