In the appraisal of biological significance, visual consciousness is faster than you think

Evaluation of biological significance in the visual cortex occurs along multiple parallel pathways to provide fast but coarse processing. This was critical when visual horizons were expanded by the sea-to-land transition, which meant broader visual exposure to a range of survival threats. Response latencies in the macaque cortex and postdictive effects of evolutionary-relevant stimuli in humans attest to fast visual processing.