It is said that humans are not able to see in the dark, unlike cats and other animals. However, one of the latest studies suggests that about 50% of the population is able to see the movement of their own hand even if it is entirely dark.
The Basis of the Conclusion
The specialists claim that humans are able to sense movement around them even if it is entirely dark because sight isn’t only option for the eyes to see but it is also connected to the brain functions. The researchers claim that they first found that they can see the movement of their hands in the dark back in 2005.
The Goals
Nonetheless, it’s not enough to go on observations hunches, but the specialists had to find a way to objectively measure the ability of humans to see in the dark. The biggest challenge of the study has been to find a way to make people become objective and not to tell the researchers what they wanted to hear.
False Expectations
In order to verify their theory, the specialists worked with 129 people from different backgrounds. These participants have been chosen because they have a blend of senses and they are known to be synesthetes. This means that they can feel tastes or see colors when they hear sounds. In this case the participants were able to see letters or numbers in colors.
Experiments
During one of the experiments the participants were blindfolded with a fabric that seemed to have many holes and they were told to move their hands in front of the blindfold. Another experiment required the participants to wear a different kind of blindfold and they were made to believe that they won’t see anything.
Facts
The truth is that in both cases the blindfolds didn’t have any holes and they didn’t let any light get through. The main point was to make the participants have false expectations so that they will tell exactly what they see. During the experiments the researchers were waving their hands in front of the participants and they had to wave their own hands too.
Eye Movements
In order to be able to tell whether the participants saw anything or not, the researchers were tracking their eye movements. According to the results about 50% of the people were able to sense movement when they were moving their own hands, mostly through visualization.
