Superior Underwater Vision in a Human Population of Sea Gypsies

@article{Gisln2003SuperiorUV,
  title={Superior Underwater Vision in a Human Population of Sea Gypsies},
  author={Anna Gisl{\'e}n and Marie Dacke and Ronald H. H. Kröger and Maths Abrahamsson and Dan-Eric Nilsson and Eric J. Warrant},
  journal={Current Biology},
  year={2003},
  volume={13},
  pages={833-836}
}
Humans are poorly adapted for underwater vision. In air, the curved corneal surface accounts for two-thirds of the eye's refractive power, and this is lost when air is replaced by water. Despite this, some tribes of sea gypsies in Southeast Asia live off the sea, and the children collect food from the sea floor without the use of visual aids. This is a remarkable feat when one considers that the human eye is not focused underwater and small objects should remain unresolved. We have measured the… Expand
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