Seeing The World Through Salmon Eyes
11:59 minutes
The saying goes, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” But for fish, the eyes are the window to the stomach.
As one California biologist recently learned, the eyes of Chinook salmon are like a tiny diet journal of everything it ate. But to read that journal, you have to peel back the layers of the eye, like it’s the world’s tiniest onion.
Miranda Tilcock, assistant research specialist at the Center for Watershed Science at the University of California, Davis talks to Ira about why she goes to such gooey lengths to understand what these salmon eat. Check out a video and photos of the lab’s research below!
Further Reading
- Read the full study published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
- Learn more about Miranda Tilcock’s research at UC Davis.
- Learn more about the study on Chinook salmon eyes at UC Davis.
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Segment Guests
Miranda Tilcock
Miranda Tilcock is an assistant research specialist in the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis in Davis, California.
Segment Transcript
The transcript for this segment is being processed. It will be posted within one week after the episode airs.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Katie Feather
@sciencewritrKatie Feather is a producer for Science Friday and the proud mother of two cats, Charleigh and Sadie.
About Ira Flatow
@iraflatowIra Flatow is the host and executive producer of Science Friday. His green thumb has revived many an office plant at death’s door.