A scientist says that super human abilities could be formed
What would it be like to have a "Spidey sense"? Or radar senses just like superhero Daredevil, who could acrobatically find his way through a small area full of traps ready to kill, despite the fact that he's totally blind? Dr. Bradley Voytek, U.C. Berkeley neuroscientists, believes it wouldn't be far outside the bounds of normalcy, as human beings have potential super senses that they seldom spend time creating.
According to a post on NewsType.com,
We need to work on them
There are super abilities that human beings can acquire, according to U.C. Berkeley scientist Dr. Voytek. He said humans have always had access to them. The power of the human mind is extraordinary, Voytek reminds us. Our perceptions are facilitated by receptors that enable us to see and hear. Our senses work with and from our conscious awareness. The degree of sensitivity is not basic by any means.
Voytek sees potential beyond standard senses
According to Voytek, our abilities are remarkable. The upper and lower thresholds are much farther away than we realize. As few as two photons in the retina can be seen by humans. With the right landscape and weather, it is possible for a human to see a candle flame from miles away.
A human should be able to focus and hear the random movement of atoms in particle theory, called Brownian motion, although it is commonly considered to be from 20 Hz to 20,000 kHz.
As few as 30 molecules of something can be smelt by a human. That is another great thing.
The reason why 'super senses' aren't regularly used by human beings
Too much attention is needed to use mega sense which is why humans do not use them, according to Voytek. That much focus is too much for many people. People don't want to have to focus like that. Human beings are required to focus intensely on one sense, ignoring the others, when testing the physical limits. You have to tune out senses consciously. This is how you get a hold of super-human senses. It is essential to focus on perception. The longer we focus, the more 3-D images could be created.
Examples around
This idea points to an age-old belief that if you lose one or more senses, the remaining abilities become hyper-acute. Ben Underwood and Terry Garrett are examples. They're both blind. Underwood is able to get around however he likes with echolocation as a teenager. He can even roller blade and skateboard. His brain is able to work together to create a sonar sense with clicking, just like a bat or dolphin. Both Garrett and Underwood are able to use sound to play video games also.
Dr. Voytek and other scientists will not give up until they have developed the understanding they need of the brain and the brain's senses. We will continue to move forward until we know exactly how to acquire these super human abilities.
Citations
CBS News
cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/19/earlyshow/main1817689.shtml
Oscillatory Thoughts
blog.ketyov.com/2011/05/we-are-all-inattentive-superheroes.html
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownian_motion
Wired
wired.com/gamelife/2011/04/blind-gamer-plays-zelda-by-ear/
Ben Underwood has overcome his blindness without surgery
youtube.com/watch?v=G1QaCeosUmw
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Funny, I *just* read an article in Men's Journal (don't ask) about human echolocation: http://www.mensjournal.com/the-blind-man-who-taught-himself-to-see Incredibly fascinating.
cherrywalter, I edited this post to make it clear that it was lifted, almost word for word, from another source.
Plagiarism isn't cool.
But if you're the original author, let me know and I'll change it back.
As much as I want superpowers (I let pretty much every animal I encounter bite me, just in case it transfers abilities), it seems like our natural tendency to filter out stimuli (on the order of a few dozen molecules or a couple photons) is probably for the best.
If we had the mental processing power to perceive and identify each tiny sound or handful of molecules we encountered, it would be a nightmare. Do you want to hear your neighbor's stomach growling, or smell it every time your roommate emits 30 molecules? bleh
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