Butterfly-Eyed Sensors Capture UV Images

The compound eyes of an insect are structurally very different from that of a human—almost a separate category of organ altogether from the more familiar ocular arrangement of lens, cornea, iris, and retina. For instance, Papillio xuthus, the Asian Swallowtail Butterfly, can see wavelengths of light in the ultraviolet spectrum, far beyond the limits of human vision or the capabilities of standard optical electronics in cameras and mobile phones.