Researchers find high-resolution retina cells in mice only activate when birds fly over
(Phys.org) -- In the eye, the retina is the light sensitive tissue that lines its inner surface; packed with ganglion neurons, its job is to convert incoming information to something that the brain can understand. In some animals, such as people, cats and the macaque, the density of neurons in certain areas of the retina accounts for the highest resolution images sent to the brain. But some animals apparently reserve such areas for other jobs. Mice for example, according to new research by a team from Harvard, only use their high resolution areas when under threat from above. As they describe in their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team notes that high density neural areas in the retinas of mice are only activated when shadows from birds flying overhead are detected.