This makes me realize how lucky we are that the ocean is as relatively transparent as it is, such that we can witness the beauty of ocean reefs. We might never find a way to really see how amazing this reef is. We can map it, explore it, and probably eventually render really amazing recreations of what it would look like in clear water, but we'll never see it.
I just like that they exist in places like this. Reefs are anchors for the marine eco-system. They crop up in unlikely places, and support vibrant life. Even if we can't see it, knowing that it's out there suggests life taking hold in more places. (I feel similar when I read about life around underwater thermals)
The air is transparent because those are the wavelengths we (as air creatures) evolved to see. If it wasn't, we would have evolved sight in wavelengths (or media) that was transparent: ie: sonar, x-rays.
That's debateable. We may simply have evolved without photon sensors.
Other wavelengths may have issues with detection or the information provided; if something can cut through obstructions in the atmosphere it may be hard to grow cells which interact with it or the rays may also ignore whatever is present locally at most scales.
The eye might be reduced in detail to the same domain as hearing or smell.
Just to nitpick sonar is really complex hearing not sight.
I suspect it is not possible to evolve to detect X-Rays given the basic building blocks life has to work with, but yes your general idea is right. Vision has evolved independently at least half a dozen times because of this selection pressure.
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This makes me realize how lucky we are that the ocean is as relatively transparent as it is, such that we can witness the beauty of ocean reefs. We might never find a way to really see how amazing this reef is. We can map it, explore it, and probably eventually render really amazing recreations of what it would look like in clear water, but we'll never see it.
I just like that they exist in places like this. Reefs are anchors for the marine eco-system. They crop up in unlikely places, and support vibrant life. Even if we can't see it, knowing that it's out there suggests life taking hold in more places. (I feel similar when I read about life around underwater thermals)
Think about how much luckier we are that air is transparent!
The air is transparent because those are the wavelengths we (as air creatures) evolved to see. If it wasn't, we would have evolved sight in wavelengths (or media) that was transparent: ie: sonar, x-rays.
That's debateable. We may simply have evolved without photon sensors.
Other wavelengths may have issues with detection or the information provided; if something can cut through obstructions in the atmosphere it may be hard to grow cells which interact with it or the rays may also ignore whatever is present locally at most scales.
The eye might be reduced in detail to the same domain as hearing or smell.
Just to nitpick sonar is really complex hearing not sight.
I suspect it is not possible to evolve to detect X-Rays given the basic building blocks life has to work with, but yes your general idea is right. Vision has evolved independently at least half a dozen times because of this selection pressure.
Actually our eyes evolved to see underwater. There just happened not to be that much different between clear air and clear water.