Paleoinspired Vision: From Exploring Colour Vision Evolution to Inspiring Camera Design
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
Dec 27, 2024
Abstract
The evolution of colour vision is captivating, as it reveals the adaptive
strategies of extinct species while simultaneously inspiring innovations in
modern imaging technology. In this study, we present a simplified model of
visual transduction in the retina, introducing a novel opsin layer. We quantify
evolutionary pressures by measuring machine vision recognition accuracy on
colour images shaped by specific opsins. Building on this, we develop an
evolutionary conservation optimisation algorithm to reconstruct the spectral
sensitivity of opsins, enabling mutation-driven adaptations to to more
effectively spot fruits or predators. This model condenses millions of years of
evolution within seconds on GPU, providing an experimental framework to test
long-standing hypotheses in evolutionary biology , such as vision of early
mammals, primate trichromacy from gene duplication, retention of colour
blindness, blue-shift of fish rod and multiple rod opsins with bioluminescence.
Moreover, the model enables speculative explorations of hypothetical species,
such as organisms with eyes adapted to the conditions on Mars. Our findings
suggest a minimalist yet effective approach to task-specific camera filter
design, optimising the spectral response function to meet application-driven
demands. The code will be made publicly available upon acceptance.
