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October 10, 2008

Strange But True!

Q. If we don't exactly see with our eyes, what DO we see with? For an unusual answer, consider Erik W., blind since age 13, who today is an amazing rock climber, plays soccer with his daughter as well as rock-paper-scissors and tic-tac-toe.

A. An early victim of retinoschisis, Erik now “sees” via light-triggered electrical pulses delivered to his tongue, using a tool called the BrainPort, says Buddy Levy in Discover magazine. “With more tactile nerve endings than any other part of the body except the lips, the tongue can discriminate two points spaced less than a millimeter apart.”


 
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