Let me rephrase the question – Do we call the Visible Spectrum that because that’s what we can see or is there something different about that part of electromagnetic spectrum (ES) that allow vision to occur. Alternately, If light is dual in nature, being both a wave and a particle, is that the same for other parts of the ES?
Which brings me to the question that I’m most curious about; would it be possible for a creature exist that can see, the same way we see, but using frequencies from other areas of the ES?
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I think some of the posts miss a few details about why 100s of nanometres is a good place to be able to “see”.
Any shorter and we’re in the ionising range, any longer and proteins would have to be too large to detect them (and photon energies would be too low).
Thankfully the atmosphere allows only light (and a little UV and IR) through so that’s what evolution has worked around. Proteins are just the right size to work as detectors.
Alien planets using familiar carbon based life could evolve around longer wavelengths for “sight”, but something needs to block ionising radiation.
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