How $5000 surgery can permanently change brown eyes to blue

In the classic 1930s movie, "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy asks the good citizens of Oz whether they could dye her eyes to match her gown, and they happily oblige. Of course, eyes are not like hair, and 75 years on you still cannot dye your eyes to suit your outfit. But it turns out that you can actually change their color with the aid of a laser.

The technique was pioneered by California-based Stroma Medical and it is currently available in several countries, but it has yet to receive approval in the United States. So far,37 patients in Mexico and Costa Rica have undergone the procedure, which permanently turned their eyes from brown to blue.

Read more: http://www.iflscience.com/technology/lasers-can-turn-your-eyes-blue-brown-5000#ixzz3UCtpDO00

BRAIN’S LIGHT DETECTOR IS NOT SO SIMPLE AFTER ALL

Neuroscientists generally think of the front end of the human visual system as a simple light detection system.

The patterns produced when light falls on the retina are relayed to the visual cortex at the rear of the brain, where all of the “magic” happens. That’s when the patterns are transformed into our 3D view of the world.

Now, however, a brain imaging study challenges this basic assumption.

Link

This Is Your Brain on Love

Why love is not an emotion and how obsessive thinking begets romantic joy.
(Another great post from Maria Popova at Brainpickings)

Today, we turn to biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, who studies the evolution of human emotions and the intricacies of the brain in — and on — love. Fisher explores the science of love without losing a sense of romance, shedding light on some of the complex ways in which the brain and the heart diverge.

If you can stomach the geekines, there’s actually a wealth of insight in this talkDr. Fisher gave at the American Psychiatric Association’s Sex, Sexuality and Serotonin conference in 2004, brilliantly synthesized here, in which she argues — with solid scientific evidence and from a rich interdisciplinary perspective — that antidepressants may jeopardize romantic love.

Easy on the eyes: How eyelash length keeps your eyes healthy

It started with a trip to the basement of the American Museum of Natural History in New York to inspect preserved animal hides. Later, Georgia Institute of Technology researchers built a wind tunnel about 2 feet tall, complete with a makeshift eye. By putting both steps together, the team discovered that 22 species of mammals -- from humans, to hedgehogs, to giraffes ¬- are the same: their eyelash length is one-third the width of their eye. Anything shorter or longer, including the fake eyelashes that are popular in Hollywood and make-up aisles, increases airflow around the eye and leads to more dust hitting the surface. "Eyelashes form a barrier to control airflow and the rate of evaporation on the surface of the cornea," 
Link