Researchers use video games to test chameleons' vision
You probably know that a chameleon's eyes move independently of one another. Thanks to video games, however, it's clear that this oddball vision is more powerful than previously thought. Israeli researchers made chameleons play a simple game where they had to track and lash out at multiple digital flies, gauging their ability to focus on two objects at once. In the tests, the lizards easily followed one target in each eye -- they only focused on one fly when they were ready to strike. The eyes even have distinctive movement patterns based on their active roles, so there's no doubt as to what they're doing.
The findings won't just help understand chameleon biology, either. Scientists believe that the results could help robots coordinate images from multiple cameras, which should improve their spatial perception and reflexes. Frankly, the video game experiment is a bit embarrassing for humans. Imagine how much better life would be if you could always spot threats (or juicy meals) from the corner of your eye?
[Image credit: Getty Images/Flickr RF]
