Interested in the profound, yet often overlooked, influence of our daily light environment on human physiology? Our latest manuscript, “Melanopsin-mediated image statistics from natural and human-made environments,” dives deep into how human-made environments drastically alter light statistics compared to the natural world, impacting melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). We reveal that artificial settings exhibit significantly higher absolute light intensities and demonstrate distinct contrast regularities that deviate from the evolutionary constraints shaping ipRGC function. Understanding these differences is crucial, as they have significant implications for ipRGC-driven functions like circadian entrainment, pupil regulation, and mood. For a comprehensive analysis of these environmental light statistics and their potential physiological consequences, we invite you to explore our full study:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15981-y

Also, we made the model code completely available: https://github.com/francisco-diaz-barrancas/HyperMelanopsin