NANOTECHNOLOGY COULD GRANT HUMANS SUPER VISION
Humans could one day be given the power of “super vision” which would allow them to see in the dark, scientists have said.
Nanoparticles inserted into the eyes of mice boosted their natural abilities beyond the normal range of colours and enabled the rodents to see infrared light. Using the new procedure the research team at the University of Science and Technology of China said they could actually modify someone’s vision to detect a wider spectrum of colours, with potential military applications. “We could give humans night vision abilities, without the night vision goggles,” lead researcher Dr Tian Xue said. Along with extending natural vision, Dr Xue and his team think the technique could even be adapted as a treatment for people who are colour-blind and unable to perceive red. Human and mouse eyes both contain rods and cones — cells that absorb light and convert it into electrical impulses that are sent to our brains. Infrared wavelengths are too long for these cells to absorb.