Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Cat-eyed Chinese Boy Have Night Vision



When Nong Yongsui was two-months-old his father, Nong Shihua, was told by doctors not to worry about his son’s unique blue eyes and that his eyes would be fine when he grew up; now, years later, Yongsui’s father, teacher and doctors are convinced the young boy’s eyes have given him a special ability — night vision. Night vision is made possible in nocturnal animals, such as cats, by a thin layer of cells called the tapetum lucidum. These cells create a “retroreflector” — when a beam of light hits the tapetum, it is reflected directly back along its path. This process amplifies incoming light allowing the animal to see at night, it is also the reason that cat’s eyes flash when they are illuminated. While many are calling Yongsui’s eyes “cat-like” experts aren’t so sure. Is this boy born with night vision the next step in human evolution?

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