Meaning

"A flash of light lasting mere trillionths of a second changes the shape of the retinal, which in turn changes the shape of the opsin. The change in opsin triggers chemical reactions that signal the nearby optic nerve, which stimulates the visual cortex in the brain. In this way, each of the 100 million rods and 3 million cones of a human eye contrib­utes a tiny glimpse of a scene, which the brain then integrates into an image.

(...) To see the world as a continuous panorama, rather than a series of disconnected snapshots, rhodopsin must quickly reform after it changes in response to light. In dim light this happens slowly, and the rhodopsin is recycled inside the eye. But in very bright light, rhodopsin contorts too fast to fully recover. 

(...) the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a caretaker of sorts for the rods and cones, removing wastes while absorbing stray light rays that might otherwise bounce around the eyeball, creating meaningless flashes. "

    The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It
    Ricki Lewis
    via delanceyplace

It should be impossible to find studying science boring (and yet!). An understanding of an understanding of the surrounding unknown. Science writing has the potential to make the best and worst reading.