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| COLOR VISION
OF BIRDS, THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN
NATURE, AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR
PRE-COLLEGE SCIENCE EDUCATION |
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Timothy
Goldsmith, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Fellow,
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
National
Associate, National Academy of Sciences
Email: timothy.goldsmith@yale.edu
Room: KBT 736
Phone: (203) 432-3494/ (203)
432-3495 |
The retinas of diurnal birds are richly endowed
with cones, and there are several reasons to
believe that avian color vision surpasses our
own. Unlike the cones of placental mammals, each
cone of birds has its own color filter in the
form of an oil droplet containing a high concentration
of carotenoid. These filters narrow the effective
absorption bands of the visual pigments, with
interesting theoretical implications for avian
color space. Moreover, in most species there
are more than three cone pigments in the retina,
including one sensitive in the near ultraviolet.
In our recent behavioral experiments, budgerigars
have made hue matches to mixtures of monochromatric
lights, and the results compare favorably with
quantitative predictions based on independent
measurements of visual pigment and oil droplet
absorption.
I have pursued an interest in the evolution
of human cognition and behavior and have authored
two books on the subject, one a textbook written
with W.F. Zimmerman. This interest has involved
me with the Gruter Institute for Law and Behavioral
Research and collaborative writing with legal
scholars.
I have also served on advisory committees to the
National Research Council, National Academy of
Sciences and Project 2061 of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science concerned with reform
of pre-college science education. In addition,
I have chaired the Board of Directors of the Biological
Sciences Curriculum Study, a not-for-profit organization
developing curricula and offering professional
development for science teachers.
Selected Publications
Goldsmith, T.H. and Butler, B.K. (2003) The
roles of receptor noise and cone oil droplets
in the photopic spectral sensitivity of the budgerigar, Melopsittacus
undulatus. Journal of Comparative Physiology
A 189:135-142.
Goldsmith, T.H. and Butler, B.K. (ms in preparation)
Color vision of the budgerigar (Melopsittacus
undulatus): Hue matches, tetrachromacy, and
intensity discrimination.
Goldsmith, T.H. and Zimmerman, W.F. (2001). Biology,
Evolution, and Human Nature. New York,
John Wiley & Sons xiii + 370 pp
Hoffman, M.B. and Goldsmith, T.H. (2004) The
biological roots of punishment. Ohio State
Journal of Criminal Law1:627-641.
Jones, O. and Goldsmith, T.H. (2005) Law and
behavioral biology. Columbia Law Review (in
press).
Goldsmith, T.H., with others (1990) Fulfilling
the Promise: Biology Education in the Nation's
Schools. National Academy Press, Washington,
D.C., 152pp. (T.H.G. was Committee Chair and
principal author.)
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