/oss/taxonomy/term/2762/all en /oss/article/medical-history-did-you-know/john-daltons-eyeball <p>In 1995, researchers from Cambridge University asked the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society for a sample of an eyeball that had been sitting in a jar on a shelf since 1844. That eye had made some of the most important scientific observations in history. It—and another just like it—belonged to John Dalton, the English schoolteacher who in the late years of the eighteenth century formulated the atomic theory. </p> Wed, 02 Oct 2024 17:31:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10099 at /oss /oss/article/pseudoscience/i-spy-back-my-eye-murderer-or-not <p>Promising nuggets in early scientific research can quickly take hold of the public imagination and continue to spread well past their sell-by date, a lesson we are all learning the hard way during this pandemic. But this phenomenon is not new. Let me ask you this: do you believe the last thing someone sees before they die gets imprinted on their retinas? It turns out this idea is a myth... mostly.</p> Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8460 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/why-do-we-see-things <p>Light enters your retina and is detected by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoreceptor_cell">photoreceptor cells</a>, of which humans have 3 specialized kinds- rod cells, cone cells and photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. The retinal ganglion cells are a bit different than the rods or cones, as they do not help you see directly, but sense light none the less, and use that information to help with circadian rhythms to regulate sleeping, and to help pupils know when to contract or dilate.</p> Fri, 01 Sep 2017 14:01:09 +0000 ada.mcvean@mail.mcgill.ca 2616 at /oss