Summary: Dragonflies and humans might not share much in common, but a new study reveals that we share a nearly identical biological “trick” for seeing the color red. Researchers discovered that dragonflies evolved a red-sensing protein (opsin) using the exact same molecular mechanism as mammals—a rare case of parallel evolution.
This dragonfly protein is so sensitive it can detect light at 720 nm, reaching into the near-infrared spectrum. By tweaking a single amino acid, scientists have already engineered a version that can “see” even deeper, potentially revolutionizing optogenetics by allowing medical devices to activate cells deep within human tissue.
Key Facts
- The 720 nm Record: Dragonflies possess one of the most red-sensitive visual pigments ever discovered, allowing them to see wavelengths that are “invisible” deep-reds to most other insects.
- Evolutionary Mirror: Despite being separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, the dragonfly’s red opsin uses the identical chemical mechanism to detect red light as the human eye.
- Mating Advantage: High red sensitivity allows male dragonflies to distinguish the subtle near-infrared reflectance of females during high-speed flight, a critical survival and mating trait.
- Medical Tool (Optogenetics): Near-infrared light penetrates deeper into human skin and muscle than blue or green light. Because this dragonfly opsin is naturally tuned to these long wavelengths, it could be used to trigger light-activated medical treatments deep inside the body.
- Molecular Engineering: By identifying the single protein position that controls sensitivity, researchers created a modified opsin that reacts to near-infrared light, successfully inducing cellular responses in a lab setting.
Source: Osaka Metropolitan University
Sometimes different organisms can evolve the same ability independently, a process called parallel evolution.
A new study from Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU) has found that dragonflies sense red light similarly to mammals, including us. As many medical devices also rely on red light, their findings could be important not just in zoology but also in medical fields that rely on red light-sensing.
Humans perceive the colors of light through a protein called opsin in the eye. In humans, three types of opsins—corresponding to blue, green, and red light—are responsible for color vision.
Among insects, dragonflies have unusually strong red vision. The team led by Professors Mitsumasa Koyanagi and Akihisa Terakita at OMU’s Graduate School of Science identified a dragonfly opsin that detects light at around 720 nm, which is outside of the deepest red end of our visible spectrum.
“This is one of the most red-sensitive visual pigments ever found,” Professor Terakita said. “Dragonflies can likely see deeper into red light than most insects.”
The researchers hypothesized that this would help dragonflies identify suitable mates. To test this idea, they measured reflectance. Reflectance is the amount of light a surface reflects, and in dragonflies this reflected light influences how they appear to each other.
The researchers found significant differences between males and females in red to near-infrared reflectance, suggesting that detecting these wavelengths helps males quickly distinguish members of the opposite sex during flight.
“Surprisingly, the mechanism by which dragonfly red opsin detects red light is identical to that of red opsin in mammals, including humans. This is an unexpected result, suggesting that the same evolutionary process occurred independently in distantly related lineages,” first author Ryu Sato, a graduate student, said.
Their study also revealed an important insight that could help turn this discovery into real-world applications. They pinpointed a single key position in the protein that controls its sensitivity to light.
When they tweaked this, it pushed this sensitivity even further, allowing the protein to respond to light close to the infrared range. They engineered a version of the protein that reacts to even longer wavelengths and showed that cells equipped with it can be activated by near-infrared light.
These findings could be useful in the field of optogenetics, which uses light-sensitive proteins that are activated with light to investigate medical conditions. As the dragonfly opsin responds to light with longer wavelengths, it could work better inside deeper tissues.
“In this study, we succeeded in shifting the sensitivity of a modified near-infrared opsin from Gomphidae dragonflies even further toward longer wavelengths and confirmed that the modified near-infrared opsin can induce cellular responses in response to near-infrared light,” Professor Koyanagi said.
“These findings demonstrate this opsin as a promising optogenetic tool capable of detecting light even deep within living organisms.”
Key Questions Answered:
A: For a dragonfly, the world is a high-speed blur. The study found that males and females reflect near-infrared light differently. By evolving “super red” vision, males can instantly spot a female against a cluttered background of green plants, which don’t reflect those specific long wavelengths.
A: It means that Nature found the “perfect” solution for seeing red and used it twice. Humans and dragonflies didn’t inherit this trait from a common ancestor; instead, both lineages independently landed on the exact same molecular “tweak” to their proteins to achieve red sensitivity.
A: In a field called optogenetics, doctors use light to turn specific cells (like neurons) on or off. Usually, they use blue light, which can’t travel very deep into the body. Because this dragonfly protein naturally loves red and near-infrared light—which can pass through tissue—doctors could use it to treat conditions deep inside the body without invasive surgery.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- Journal paper reviewed in full.
- Additional context added by our staff.
About this visual neuroscience research news
Author: Matthew Coslett
Source: Osaka Metropolitan University
Contact: Matthew Coslett – Osaka Metropolitan University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Dragonfly red opsins share a common tuning mechanism with mammalian red opsins and further enhancement of near-infrared sensitivity” by Ryu Sato, Akihisa Terakita & Mitsumasa Koyanagi. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
DOI:10.1007/s00018-025-06017-9
Abstract
Dragonfly red opsins share a common tuning mechanism with mammalian red opsins and further enhancement of near-infrared sensitivity
Some animals, such as primates and insects have color vision including sensitivity to red light (red vision). Red vision is basically achieved through opsins sensitive to the red region (red opsins), which independently evolved in different lineages.
In dragonfly red vision, which is known to sense longer-wavelength light compared with humans, however, the underlying opsins and the spectral tuning mechanism are largely unknown.
Here we investigated dragonfly opsins and found that RhLWA2s are the longest-wavelength-sensitive opsins, so-called red opsins in dragonflies.
Spectroscopic analysis of the recombinant pigment of RhLWA2 from Asiagomphus melaenops (Am_RhLWA2) revealed that it has an absorption maximum at 580 nm and exhibits bistability, indicating that Am_RhLWA2 is the longest-wavelength-sensitive bistable opsin to date. Mutational analysis of Am_RhLWA2 revealed that position 292 is responsible for the red shift.
The spectral tuning site as well as the mechanism for the red shift (S292A) is shared with that of mammalian red opsins, showing parallel evolution between mammalian and insect green/red opsins, and the substitution from Ala to Val (A292V) in a dragonfly lineage further enhanced the red sensitivity to near-infrared region.
Furthermore, we succeeded in engineering red-shifted Am_RhLWA2 mutant having an absorption maximum at 590 nm by introducing V211C mutation. Cultured cells expressing the red-shifted Am_RhLWA2 mutant exhibited significant Ca2+ responses to 738 nm light, showing the potential of near-infrared sensitive optogenetic tools to control GPCR-signaling.
Based on the analysis of body coloration of a related dragonfly species, the longer-wavelength sensitivity of Am_RhLWA2 could confer an advantage in sex recognition.
