Geckos Don’t Need Flashlights

Psalm 146:8
The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous….

You get up early. The illumination isn’t very good, you put on your socks anyway, only to find out, in the light of day, that you have one blue and one gray sock on. That’s because our eyes have cone cells to detect color, as well as rod cells that are sensitive to light, but cannot see color. So, as the light level becomes lower, we have a decreasing ability to detect colors.

Not so with the hooded gecko. Based on their study of gecko eyes, some scientists wondered whether they could see in the dark. To test this, they made cards with a checkerboard pattern of blues and grays. Geckos were then trained to take crickets labeled with one of the cards. Then, when they offered the geckos crickets labeled with a blue card, they rewarded with the expected cricket. Crickets labeled with gray cards were made bad-tasting by being placed in salt water. During these tests the light level was so low that researchers could not tell the difference between colors. However, the geckos took the crickets labeled with blue cards more than twice as often, proving that they could see the color differences.

While we marvel at God’s unlimited creativity in providing for His creatures needs, we see this truth by faith. Faith also shows us that God redeemed us through His Son.

Prayer:
I thank You, Lord for the gift of sight. Help me to see more clearly through the eyes of the faith You have given me. Amen.

Notes:
Science News, 11/27: 2004, p. 342, S. Milius, “Color at Night.” Photo: Gecko (not the hooded gecko). (PD)