Editing 2770: Tapetum Lucidum
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Created by BILL NYE'S CAT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
− | {{w|Bill Nye}} | + | {{w|Bill Nye}}, wearing the same lab coat as in [[200: Bill Nye]], beats an unseen player (presumably [[Randall]]) in an online multiplayer game resembling {{w|XPilot}}, in which players pilot spaceships using simulated rocket physics and attempt to shoot and kill each other. During a laser battle, Bill Nye provides a scientific explanation for the {{w|tapetum lucidum}}, the layer behind the {{w|retina}} of a cat's eye. He explains that the layer reflects back some of the light that bounces off the retina, giving it a second chance to hit the retina again. This allows a cat's eye to capture more light than it otherwise would, and thus improves their night vision. It's also why [https://carnegiemnh.org/meowfest-why-do-cat-eyes-glow-in-the-dark/ cat's eyes appear to glow in the dark]. |
− | At the same time, Bill Nye's battle tactic in the online game perfectly analogizes the point he is making. His spaceship is firing energy pulses into the path of an approaching ship in an attempt to destroy it. Due to the difficulty of hitting a small, fast-moving target, it's likely that most or all of these shots will miss. However, because Bill Nye is firing at a reflective wall, each shot that misses bounces back into the path of the opponent's ship, giving it a second chance to hit the target and effectively doubling the density of the firepower. With double the number of shots to avoid, the opponent's ship is hit and explodes | + | At the same time, Bill Nye's battle tactic in the online game perfectly analogizes the point he is making. His spaceship is firing energy pulses into the path of an approaching ship in an attempt to destroy it. Due to the difficulty of hitting a small, fast-moving target, it's likely that most or all of these shots will miss. However, because Bill Nye is firing at a reflective wall, each shot that misses bounces back into the path of the opponent's ship, giving it a second chance to hit the target and effectively doubling the density of the firepower. With double the number of shots to avoid, the opponent's ship is hit and explodes. |
In the analogy, the weapon shots fired by Bill Nye's ship are the light photons entering the cat's eye, the reflective wall is the tapetum lucidum, and the opponent's ship is a retinal cell. Destroying the opponent's ship with a shot is analogous to a light photon being absorbed by the cat's retina (and therefore seen). If the reflective wall hadn't been there, the ship might have survived, which means the retina would never have seen that photon. | In the analogy, the weapon shots fired by Bill Nye's ship are the light photons entering the cat's eye, the reflective wall is the tapetum lucidum, and the opponent's ship is a retinal cell. Destroying the opponent's ship with a shot is analogous to a light photon being absorbed by the cat's retina (and therefore seen). If the reflective wall hadn't been there, the ship might have survived, which means the retina would never have seen that photon. | ||
− | Randall presumably considers this "extra infuriating" because Bill Nye is showing | + | Randall presumably considers this "extra infuriating" because Bill Nye is showing off his scientific knowledge in some other field while also beating him in the game. |
− | The title text | + | The title text refers to "tapetum lucidum" and uses "double tap" in the way that online games, memes, and films refer to shooting something twice in rapid succession to ensure its demise. This phrase is famously{{Actual citation needed}} used in the film "Zombieland," and is the subtitle of the 2019 "Zombieland: Double Tap" sequel. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
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− | :[ | + | :[Ship 1 shoots green projectiles at Ship 2, some of the projectiles are bouncing off walls.] |
− | : | + | :Ship 1: Cats have a shiny layer behind their retina called the tapetum lucidum. |
− | : | + | :SFX: Pew pew pew |
− | : | + | :Ship 1: After light passes through the retina, this layer reflects it back through a second time. |
− | : | + | :SFX: Pew pew |
− | |||
− | :[ | + | :[Ship 1 defeats Ship 2 with a projectile bouncing off a wall, resulting in a green explosion.] |
− | :Bill Nye: ... | + | :Ship 1: This extra bounce gives photons another chance to interact with the retinal cells... |
+ | :SFX: BOOM! | ||
+ | |||
+ | :[Bill Nye, in a labcoat, sitting at a computer.] | ||
+ | :Bill Nye: ...improving their night vision! Isn't science cool? | ||
:Caption: There's something extra infuriating about losing online games to Bill Nye. | :Caption: There's something extra infuriating about losing online games to Bill Nye. | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
+ | [[Category:Comics featuring real people]] | ||
[[Category:Comics with color]] | [[Category:Comics with color]] | ||
− | |||
[[Category:Video games]] | [[Category:Video games]] | ||
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Science]] |
[[Category:Cats]] | [[Category:Cats]] |