{"id":25102,"date":"2026-06-28T12:55:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T16:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/?p=25102"},"modified":"2026-06-28T12:56:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T16:56:21","slug":"dragonflies-hidden-color-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/dragonflies-hidden-color-vision\/25102\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragonflies can see a color invisible to humans and scientists are now using &#8216;hidden vision&#8217; to reach cells deep inside the body"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine sitting outside on a warm, sunny day, watching a dragonfly zip through your garden.<\/p>\n<p>At first glance, <strong>you notice the vibrant colors of<\/strong> its wings and metallic body.<\/p>\n<p>But what you\u2019re seeing isn\u2019t the full picture. Dragonflies use a completely different spectrum of light when perceiving their world.<\/p>\n<p>A hidden color lies beyond human vision\u2014<strong>but how does it affect human health?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Dragonflies dominating the skies<\/h2>\n<p>Dragonflies excel in their job, flying around ponds and fields.<\/p>\n<p>They fly fast, calculate every move, <strong>find their prey in flight, and eat, <\/strong>all it while flying.<\/p>\n<p>This ability comes from their two compound eyes. These structures can collect vast amounts of data in extremely short periods of time compared to how fast our brains process information.<\/p>\n<p><strong>They see the world differently than humans.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_25136\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25136\" style=\"width: 390px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25136\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/29.-The-Pulse-Internal-Image-Dragonflies-can-see-a-color-invisible-to-humans-and-scientists-are-now-using-hidden-vision-to-reach-cells-deep-inside-the-body-300x295.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"394\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/29.-The-Pulse-Internal-Image-Dragonflies-can-see-a-color-invisible-to-humans-and-scientists-are-now-using-hidden-vision-to-reach-cells-deep-inside-the-body-300x295.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/29.-The-Pulse-Internal-Image-Dragonflies-can-see-a-color-invisible-to-humans-and-scientists-are-now-using-hidden-vision-to-reach-cells-deep-inside-the-body-768x756.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/29.-The-Pulse-Internal-Image-Dragonflies-can-see-a-color-invisible-to-humans-and-scientists-are-now-using-hidden-vision-to-reach-cells-deep-inside-the-body-75x75.jpg 75w, https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/29.-The-Pulse-Internal-Image-Dragonflies-can-see-a-color-invisible-to-humans-and-scientists-are-now-using-hidden-vision-to-reach-cells-deep-inside-the-body-750x738.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/29.-The-Pulse-Internal-Image-Dragonflies-can-see-a-color-invisible-to-humans-and-scientists-are-now-using-hidden-vision-to-reach-cells-deep-inside-the-body.jpg 824w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-25136\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Close-up image of a dragonfly&#8217;s eyes showing iridescent structural coloration &#8211; Credits: Dustin Iskandar from Kuching, Malaysia, CC BY 2.0,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While we see through a narrow band of light (visual), they interpret movement and signals in a different way.<\/p>\n<p>It is almost as though <strong>they are tuned into a radio station<\/strong> that humans are biologically unable to receive.<\/p>\n<p>For many years, scientists have been fascinated by this phenomenon. It has also intrigued those who study the intricacies of insect visual systems.<\/p>\n<h2>As the limits of perception begin to fade<\/h2>\n<p>Researchers studying dragonfly vision <strong>have noticed that they appear to anticipate<\/strong> movement before it happens.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, it has been observed that they will fly toward something that appears to be no more than empty space to us.<\/p>\n<p>This behavior is almost as though <strong>they are processing large amounts of data<\/strong> from a source we cannot identify.<\/p>\n<p>Because of this, scientists are now exploring how similar technology could help solve medical problems. They believe that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/insect-sees-a-color-your-eyes-can-not\/20299\/\">studying how dragonflies sense their environment<\/a> may lead to improved imaging technology for hospitals.<\/p>\n<p>It is also believed that this work <strong>may lead to the development of better<\/strong> sensors for internal surgical tools.<\/p>\n<p>If successful, this technology may allow surgeons to operate with greater delicacy.<\/p>\n<p>That is to say, <strong>they hope surgeons may be able to develop<\/strong> treatment plans based on precise images of delicate tissues.<\/p>\n<p>How can we possibly begin to understand how to view things that are invisible to us?<\/p>\n<p>You can explore the core of this research in the study &#8220;Dragonflies can see a color humans can\u2019t and it could change medicine&#8221; published by the Osaka Metropolitan University in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2026\/04\/260409101059.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Science Daily<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Deep red and near-infrared light reveal hidden signals<\/h2>\n<p>Most people would agree <strong>that viewing something is a passive experience<\/strong>, but that is not the case.<\/p>\n<p>Our experience of seeing objects is much more dynamic.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/platypus-hidden-glow-ultraviolet-secret\/23997\/\">optical imaging devices take advantage of what<\/a> we can capture.<\/p>\n<p>However, the most important biological processes occur too deep for conventional cameras to reach.<\/p>\n<p>These systems require more than just high-resolution lenses. Deep tissue imaging <strong>requires the ability to penetrate multiple<\/strong> layers of biological noise.<\/p>\n<h3>Beyond familiar visual limits<\/h3>\n<p>Engineers are developing probes that detect light frequencies similar to those used by dragonfly photoreceptors. By doing this, they can create images of previously unobservable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/human-cells-have-internal-alarm-system\/19486\/\">parts of the human body in real time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of invasive procedures, <strong>they propose using these systems to create<\/strong> detailed images of cells inside the body.<\/p>\n<p>Physicians will have the ability to obtain diagnosis sooner with the aid of this technology and will be able to see conditions that were once invisible.<\/p>\n<p>This represents an alternative way for it to &#8220;see&#8221; through the adaptation of a survival trait used by dragonflies.<\/p>\n<p>Is it possible that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/penguin-inspired-energy-materials\/22600\/\">medicine&#8217;s future is less about developing<\/a> larger machinery and more about acquiring a finer set of eyes?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine sitting outside on a warm, sunny day, watching a dragonfly zip through your garden. At first glance, you notice the vibrant colors of its wings and metallic body. But what you\u2019re seeing isn\u2019t the full picture. Dragonflies use a completely different spectrum of light when perceiving their world. A hidden color lies beyond human &#8230; <a title=\"Dragonflies can see a color invisible to humans and scientists are now using &#8216;hidden vision&#8217; to reach cells deep inside the body\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/dragonflies-hidden-color-vision\/25102\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Dragonflies can see a color invisible to humans and scientists are now using &#8216;hidden vision&#8217; to reach cells deep inside the body\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":25132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"dragonflies,hidden,vision","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Dragonflies can see hidden color invisible to humans, and scientists are using this ability to develop medical imaging that detects cells deep inside the body.","footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}