Researchers at the University of Adelaide have identified a visual circuit in dragonflies that works in a totally...

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have identified a visual circuit in dragonflies that works in a totally novel method. Most visual circuits operate using separate, independent "on" and "off" pathways to see the edges of objects and in low light. The combination of on and off pathways determines what is seen. The new find in dragonflies, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, shows that the dragonflies use a single pathway that alternates between on and off. Using target selective neurons in the flies' brains, the researchers were able to show that their neural pathways were a combination of both on and off switches. Besides improving knowledge of visual circuitry, the researchers say that dragonfly sight may also help improve tracking and artificial vision devices.

Source: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news63842.html