Monday, September 14, 2009

Night Vision Eyedrops?

As a teenager, I was an avid reader of comic books and even today I enjoy shows like HEROES where people can do extraordinary things. So I love hearing about ways to make people more than human. Scientists may have discovered a way to give humans enhanced night vision using eye-drops full of chlorophyll - the substance that makes plants green.

n the 1990s, marine biologist Ron Douglas of City University London discovered that, unlike other deep-sea fish, the dragonfish Malacosteus niger can perceive red light. Douglas was surprised when he isolated the chemical responsible for absorbing red: It was chlorophyll....[The] latest experiments in mice and rabbits suggest that administering chlorophyll to the eyes can double their ability to see in low light. The pigment absorbs hues of red light that are normally invisible in dim conditions. That information is then transmitted to the brain, allowing enhanced vision.
This is very exciting. Although I will admit I am hoping they soon discover the eye-drops for X-ray or heat vision.

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