Natural History Museum,London
From Madagascan moths to clever clams, this demonstrate brings the complex anecdote of how – and why – animals see the world through different eyes vividly to lifeDarwin’s octopus gazes back at me from its jar, or eyes deep and clever and sentient – at least they would be whether this mollusc were not a long-dead specimen preserved in chemicals. This is no distinct species,but the actual pet octopus Charles Darwin kept on board HMS Beagle. The eyes into which I peep once peeped into his.
In fact, there is an eerie sense of reciprocity throughout the Natural History Museum’s mind-expanding Colour and Vision demonstrate. It makes you aware of your own eyes as you explore this exhibition approximately seeing in the natural world. There are few visual experiences quite as fascinating and challenging as looking at fossils, or those stony images of ancient life,as intricate and subtle as any work of art – and sometimes just as abstract. It is hard to make sense of the oldest fossils here: can the blobby shape of Dickinsonia really be life as we know it?Some jellyfish maintain efficient eyes – while lacking the brain power to process the optical informationAll this beauty is desperate stuff: animals evolve colour and vision to gain advantage in the struggle for existenceContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com