BALTIMORE, Md., March 23, 2007 -- Researchers have transformed the limited color vision of mice by introducing a single human gene into a mouse chromosome. The gene codes for a light sensor that mice do not normally possess, and its insertion allowed the mice to see colors as never before, a sign that the brain can adapt far more rapidly to new sensory information than anticipated. The work, by scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and their colleagues, also suggests that when the first ancestral primate inherited a new type of photoreceptor more than 40 million years ago, it probably experienced immediate...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESOCT-Based Technique Captures Details of Photoreceptor FunctionResearchers from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) have developed an instrument that has measured tiny, light-evoked deformations in individual rods and cones in a living human eye. The...BioPhotonics Nov/Dec 2020 IssueOn-Chip Tunable Photonic Delay Line Could Help Miniaturize OCT DevicesScientists at Columbia University have developed an on-chip, tunable photonic delay line to miniaturize imaging technology. Using their on-chip technology to map the back of the eye, the researchers...Photonics Spectra December 2019 IssueFiber Optic-Based Sensor Measures pH Levels in Cell-Growth EnvironmentsScientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are developing a photonic sensor to study tissue growth in the lab. The proof-of-concept sensor uses a light-based signal to...Photonics.com 12/16/2019Light Powers Butterfly-Inspired Hydrogen SensorButterfly wings are the inspiration for a light-activated hydrogen sensor device capable of producing ultraprecise results at room temperature. Tests demonstrated the sensor’s ability to detect...Photonics.com 12/7/2020PRODUCTSOptical ReceiverThe 7511A-1-04 high-sensitivity optical receiver from Analog Modules Inc. includes a 200-µm InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) with a high-gain, low-noise preamplifier for use in medical...Photonics.com 10/29/2019IR CameraThe ImageIR® 9500 IR camera for the mid-IR range from InfraTec GmbH features a cooled FPA photon detector. Based on sensitive mercury cadmium telluride, the camera features a 16:9...Photonics Spectra December 2019 IssueCMOS Image SensorsThe XGS 9400 and the XGS 8000 global shutter CMOS image sensors from ON Semiconductor Corp. have been announced by Framos Technologies Inc. The sensors provide resolutions of 9.4 and 8.8 MP...Photonics Spectra December 2019 IssueVision Software Development KitThe Matrox Imaging Library (MIL) X from Matrox® Imaging offers support for Arm processor architecture, a widely-used platform for embedded vision systems. The MIL X vision software...Vision-Spectra.com April 2020 IssuePHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. These articles will provide the tools optics designers need to tailor their designs to the appropriate manufacturing process and to optimize the cost of component fabrication.Aspheric surfaces are powerful tools that combine the optical corrections of multiple lenses into a single element (Figure 1) and affect performance in ways that spherical optics cannot. For example,...Photonics HandbookDetectors: CCDs for Life-Science Applications: The CCD camera is becoming the imaging method of choice in biological laboratories for its resolution, versatility and ease of use. Choosing the best CCD for a given application, however, requires knowing how basic chip parameters affect performance.Since their invention in the late 1960s, charge-coupled devices, also called CCDs, have found widespread use in imaging applications. Electronic cameras based on CCD technology are used in...Photonics HandbookLight-Emitting Diodes: A Primer: Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductors that convert electrical energy into light energy. The color of the emitted light depends on the semiconductor material and composition, with LEDs generally classified into three wavelengths: ultraviolet, visible, and infrared.The wavelength range of commercially available LEDs with single-element output power of at least 5 mW is 275 to 950 nm. Each wavelength range is made from a specific semiconductor material family,...Photonics HandbookPhotomultipliers: Low-Light, High-Speed Specialists: Rapid detection of light calls for a sensitive detector and electronics that do not introduce additional signal noise. In fact, for very rapid detection, detector shot noise does not determine the signal-to-noise ratio. Instead, the amplifier has the most impact, which is why many designers have selected a photomultiplier tube for the high-speed or low-light-level detection of photons.The applications where rapid detection of light is a must are many. They include a wide variety: semiconductor inspection, gene sequencing, oil well logging and high-energy physics. The reasons for...Photonics HandbookWHITEPAPERSLight Changes Matter – with Optics, Lasers and SensorsJenoptik is a global OEM supplier of solutions and products based on photonics technologies with more than 25 years experience in the fields of optics, laser technology, digital imaging,...Photonics.com 12/2/2020Health and Sanitization through UV LightingWith increased awareness and necessity for rapid disinfection methods due to the current coronavirus pandemic, ultraviolet disinfection has become a viable method to achieve it. Determining the...Photonics.com 6/30/2020Using Lighting To Optimize Camera PerformanceA rule of thumb in imaging is that there can never be too much light. A common problem is finding enough light to clearly image a subject. Utilizing light sources in an efficient and deliberate...Photonics.com 9/1/2019UVC Sensors to Monitor Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI)The healthcare industry and front-line workers utilize UVC sensors and radiometers to aid in the process of disinfecting personal protective equipment (PPE) with Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation...Photonics.com 6/9/2020WEBINARSPhotonics for OphthalmologyPhotonics Media invites you to join us for our upcoming FREE digital conference, "Photonics for Ophthalmology." 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Researchers there are leading the charge for "smart"...Photonics.com 8/28/2017Light Matters Extra: Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) - 08.2017On this episode of Light Matters Extra we take you to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, and introduce you to researchers at LESA -- the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and...Photonics.com 8/28/2017Photonics West 2017 Ushers in the New Year - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2017Photonics Media followed the photons all the way to San Francisco earlier this month for SPIE’s Photonics West 2017. The year truly begins with this event for many in the industry, as it is a symbol...Photonics.com 2/23/2017Robot Touch - LIGHT MATTERS 10.07.2015For all their precision of movement, we can't always count on robots to handle objects with care. But fiber optic sensors could give machines a more human sense of touch. See how – this month on...Photonics.com 10/7/2015PHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESThermopile DetectorsProjection DisplaysDisplay ControllersCharacter Generation Laser SystemsCOMPANIESFOCtek Photonics Inc.FOCtek provides customers with all types of custom manufactured lenses, Precision Optical Components, Polarizing Optics, Prisms, Filters, Coatings, Optical Systems, Crystals, Nonlinear Crystals,...Photonics Buyers' GuideMildex Inc.For more than 45 years our mission has been to provide optical manufacturers proven and reliable systems to improve the quality, yield and overall productivity of their optical manufacturing...Photonics Buyers' GuideHighland Technology Inc.Photonics Buyers' GuideLattice Materials LLCLattice Materials is a vertically integrated U.S. manufacturer of infrared optical components from hard, brittle materials for a wide variety of applications and industries. Since 1989, we have been...Photonics Buyers' Guide