the.com/retinal
the tiny orange molecule that turns light into sight, one photon at a time.
means retinal is the light-absorbing pigment molecule derived from vitamin a that changes shape when hit by light, triggering vision.
from named for the retina, from latin rete meaning net, describing the eye's net-like layer of light-sensitive tissue where this molecule does its work.
shape shifttwists from bent cis to straight trans in femtoseconds
vitamin linkbody makes it by oxidizing vitamin a
universal designused by both animal eyes and bacterial light sensors
speed recordamong fastest photochemical reactions known in biology
for instance
rhodopsin — rod cell protein bound to retinal enabling night vision
bacteriorhodopsin — archaea use retinal to pump protons from sunlight
cone opsins — human color vision relies on retinal in three cone types