A crustacean eye that rivals the best optical equipment - "Go Evolution"

Normally, such a structure should still perform poorly over the entire visible range. What makes the structure work is that the tubes are made of membranes containing molecules that also have a refractive index that differs depending on the orientation of the light field. Now, we have four different refractive indexes: two associated with the form birefringence and two associated with the membranes. All four of them vary depending on the color of the light coming down the tubes. The form birefringence changes in just the right way to compensate the changes due to the membrane, providing a quarter waveplate that works well across the entire visible spectrum.

How good is this? A simple quarter waveplate made from a piece of quartz is accurate to within about ±20 degrees over the entire visible range—this is on the bad side of absolute junk. A quarter waveplate that makes use of form birefringence for better performance clocks in at around ±9 degrees. R8 beats this by a factor of three with a variation of just ±2.7 degrees over the visible range.

All I have to say at this point is: go evolution.

Contrary to the author's statement this research is, of course, evidence of Intelligent Desgin. How could 'evolution' (random change over time) result in something so complex?