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You probably know that your visual perception of the world is a bit different than your pets’. Dogs see things with less color than humans, snakes can see infrared, and if you have a pet bull, it lives in a world where red and green are the same color. This brings up a good question. Why do you have a pet bull? You should get a cat instead, and when you do, it is important to know that your new friend can’t focus on objects farther than 20 feet away. The point is, animals have evolved to see in a variety of ways. But how can we see things through their eyes? Marine biologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David Gruber collaborated with a research team to develop lights and camera filters that allowed him to do just that, underwater. Through their work, the team discovered biofluorescence in an abundance of aquatic species. This “glowing” trait has to do with how an organism absorbs and emits light. Research has indicated that this radiance is possibly used for communication and camouflage. One caveat: You need a certain species of eyes (or David’s camera) to see it. Swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) have fluorescent proteins inside their skin, which are triggered by the ocean’s blue light, becoming visible to other swell sharks. David’s camera has special yellow filters that allow the simulation of a swell shark’s vision. It turns out there is a massive rave going on 500 meters below the ocean’s surface, and one of the glowing guests is a type of cat shark!

1a8vV TIL that the song "Dirty Creature" by New Zealand new wave rockers Split Enz makes (metaphorical) reference to Taniwha, powerful beings believed by the Maori to inhabit treacherous waters. Tim Finn had been suffering panic attacks, and co-wrote this song to try to contend with his suffering.
0wlgp TIL TGI Fridays exists because the founder was single and wanted to create a place to meet women
NLMM TIL that ‘you are my sunshine, my only sunshine’ song is actually pretty dark
x6p4g TIL about the 'Loudness War' - beginning in the 1980s and peaking in the early 2000s, music producers and broadcasters increased the audio levels of albums and radio stations. As a result of consumer complaints, US legislators passed the CALM act which mandated maximum broadcast sound levels.
wLDoP TIL Toni Morrison helped fund “The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda,” a play by Ishmael Reed that critiques the white-washing in Hamilton