Detects strange material state in chicken eyes

For the first time, researchers have discovered a strange state of matter, called "super homogeneous disorder" in the eyes of a chicken.

This anomalous material state is a sort of arrangement of particles that makes them appear chaotic at small distances, but contain a hidden order, allowing matter to behave just like a crystal, medium like a liquid. The discovery was made when scientists studied tiny, cone-sensitive cells, helping to perceive color in the eyes of chickens.

For most active birds and other birds during the day, these photoreceptors are divided into four types of receptors and treatment of different color stimuli (purple, blue, green and red). ) and category 5 identifies the level of light. Each of these cones has a different size.

The image depicts the spatial distribution structure of five light-sensitive cells in the chicken's retina, reflecting a new state of matter called "super-homogeneous disorder" .(Photo: Live Science)

Photosensitive cells are dense into a layer of tissue on the retina. Many animals have these cells arranged in a certain pattern, such as hexagons in insects. Meanwhile, photoreceptors in chicken eyes do not seem to follow any organizational order.

However, when simulating how to arrange photoreceptors in chicken eyes on computers, the researchers were amazed to find an unusual order of arrangement. Surrounding each photoreceptor is an exclusion zone, preventing other cells of the same type from approaching. This means that each type of photoreceptor has its own uniform arrangement. However, 5 different models of 5 separate photoreceptors are cluttered on top of each other in a messy way.

The materials in the "super-homogeneous" state are like crystals at the point, they keep the density of particles in proportion to the large space. But they are similar to liquids in having the same physical properties in every direction.

The research team from Princeton University (USA) said, this is the first time people have observed the state of "super-homogeneous disorder" in a biological system. Earlier, the scientific community noted that it exists in physical systems such as liquid helium or simple plasma.

For chicken eyes, the researchers surmised that such a strange way of arranging photoreceptors allowed the animal to sample evenly the incoming light. According to them, engineers can take the natural "super-homogeneous" state to create optical circuits and light-sensitive or resistant light detectors with certain light wavelengths. .