Seeing in the Dark

Some deep-sea creatures, such as the silver spinyfin, possess extra genes for detecting colors in their dark void.

Marine biologists made a surprising discovery while studying fish that live at depths greater than 650 feet (200 m). At those lightless depths, several deep-sea species can detect vibrant colors, far better than most other fish or humans.

Humans and most other vertebrates have only one gene for producing the light-sensitive proteins (called rod opsin) in the rod cells of the retina, which allow us to detect light in dim conditions. One deep-sea fish has 38 such genes. Tests showed that they can see many more shades of blue and green than humans can, which is ideal for detecting bioluminescence and distinguishing prey from predators.

God cares about all his creation and provides for even the creatures in the depths where humans cannot see.

Article was taken from Answers magazine, September–October, 2019, 20.