Osaka Metropolitan University Researchers Discover Dragonfly Visual Trick for Deep Red Vision to Advance Optogenetics

OMU researchers find dragonflies see deep red light using a human-like mechanism, offering a new breakthrough for deep-tissue medical tools and optogenetics.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 10, 2026, 10:50 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Science Daily

Parallel Evolution of High Performance Vision

In a striking example of parallel evolution, researchers have discovered that dragonflies and mammals independently developed the same biological strategy for perceiving the red end of the light spectrum. While most insects have limited color range, dragonflies utilize specialized proteins called opsins that allow them to see light wavelengths that are nearly invisible to other species. A team led by Professors Mitsumasa Koyanagi and Akihisa Terakita found that these insects possess a specific opsin tuned to 720 nm, which is on the extreme edge of the deep red visible to humans. This shared molecular trick suggests that nature often arrives at the same solution for complex sensory challenges, regardless of how distantly related the species may be.

The Biological Utility of Near-Infrared Perception

The ability to detect deep red light provides dragonflies with a distinct advantage in their natural environment, particularly during high-speed aerial maneuvers. The research team examined the reflectance of dragonfly bodies and found that males and females reflect red and near-infrared light differently. This heightened sensitivity likely serves as a specialized communication channel, allowing males to identify and track potential mates by picking up on subtle visual cues that are invisible to predators or competitors. This refined visual system highlights how evolutionary pressures can push sensory limits to extreme boundaries for the sake of survival and reproduction.

Mirroring the Human Molecular Mechanism

Perhaps the most surprising finding of the study is that the dragonfly's red-sensitive opsin operates using the exact same amino acid configuration as the human version. Despite millions of years of evolutionary separation, both lineages settled on the same molecular blueprint to capture long-wavelength light. According to graduate student Ryu Sato, this identity in function was entirely unexpected. The discovery underscores a fundamental principle in biology where certain chemical structures are so efficient at performing a task that they are selected for repeatedly across the tree of life.