The Evolution of the Eye

Georg Glaeser has been professor of mathematics and geometry at the University of Applied Arts Vienna since 1998. As an author of numerous books on the topics of mathematics, geometry, computer graphics and photography, he simultaneously indulges a deep passion for animal photography. He specializes in a unique synthesis that bridges mathematics and biology through the prism of popular science. His latest book on this topic – Nature and Numbers – was published by Birkhauser in 2014.Hannes F. Paulus, professor of zoology, lectured at Freiburg University between 1973 and 1991. From 1993 to 2013, he headed the Department of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna. In his numerous scientific publications and contributions to scientific journals and academic textbooks, he addresses the morphological evolution of eyes (of arthropods in particular); he later developed a deep passion for the biology of pollination, putting particular focus on the sexual deception of orchids. His research led him to South America, Africa and to virtually all parts of the Mediterranean. Since 2013, he has been enjoying his retirement while continuing work at the Department of Integrative Zoology at the University of Vienna.

Thoughts about evolution.- Lens eyes or facet eyes?.- The world is 3D.- The limits of clarity.- Simple or simplified?.- Above and below the water.- Pax and homology.- Alternative senses.- A world of color.- The language of our eyes.

"A valuable work about various intriguing aspects of the eye. ... Each chapter is about 20 pages long and contains both text and images. ... this work will be very accessible to a diverse readership including the general public and high school and undergraduate students. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All library collections." (T. A. Franz-Odendaal, Choice, Vol. 53 (8), April, 2016)