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Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Characterization of Biological Absorption Spectra Spanning the Visible to the Short-Wave Infrared
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What is light? The visible spectrum and beyond.

D H Sliney1

  • 1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Eye (London, England)
|January 16, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This review explores the historical concept of light and its visible spectrum. Modern understanding includes light

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Area of Science:

  • Optics and Photonics
  • Biophysics
  • History of Science

Background:

  • The nature of light has been debated throughout history, involving wave-particle duality.
  • The perceived visible spectrum is influenced by factors like age and light source radiance.
  • Artificial lighting technologies are evolving, necessitating research into their biological effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the historical understanding of light and the visible spectrum.
  • To discuss the current scientific understanding of light's dual nature and spectral limits.
  • To highlight the implications of changing artificial lighting on human biology.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of historical and current scientific concepts of light.
  • Analysis of factors influencing the visible spectrum, including radiance and age.
  • Discussion of the spectral content of modern artificial lighting.

Main Results:

  • Light is recognized as having both wave and particle properties.
  • The visible spectrum extends from approximately 310 nm (ultraviolet) to 1100 nm (near-infrared), varying with light source radiance.
  • Significant changes in artificial lighting spectra are occurring, with unknown biological consequences.

Conclusions:

  • The definition and perception of the visible spectrum have evolved.
  • Current artificial lighting shifts may have significant, yet unexplored, biological impacts.
  • Further research is needed to understand the biological implications of new lighting technologies.