July 8 Ecosystems and Deep Ecology

• What do you think about the “eight-point Deep Ecology Platform”?
• Can you explain why “Ecosystems are both strong and fragile”?
• How would you assess the “end goals” of Social Ecology?

I think its great! I know some people may see it as radical and far-reaching, but I think we need to dream about our ideals way before they're possible. Things need to be dreamed in order to come to reality, we have to push for the future we want even if it seems so at odds with the likely future if humans keep acting so foolish

Life is strong and fragile. We can survive heartbreak, poverty, cancer, getting hit by a bus, etc, but then maybe we trip while walking down an icy sidewalk and die. Ecosystems are reflective of that. We are flexible and strong, but we do have breaking points. Nothing can be strong forever. 

July 31 - Biophysics - Energy Medicine and Energy Fields

• Acupuncture as effective energy medicine
• What conclusions can you draw from Kirlian photography
• Human intent as it affects health

I believe acupuncture is effective energy medicine - that's why I'm studying it! It's funny how there's this disconnect in our culture, where we are very science-based, and the hard sciences are telling us that everything is literally made of energy, interacting w each other on visible and invisible levels, and most ppl accept these findings as true. But when healers say they believe that healing has to happen on an energetic level, its often scoffed at. What's up with that?

I'd never heard of Kirlian photography before this class, its interesting. I know people who see auras so I definitely believe it/them. I don't really see why we couldnt capture the energy around someone/something with the right tool. And I think its silly that some thought it was discounted because it was still capturing the glow around a leaf that had been broken/died. I think it totally makes sense for something that is dying/dead to still be giving off energy

I do think intention matters, though I also think that impact matters more than intent. When it comes to healing, I think that everyone is capable of affecting others with their intentions, and some people who are healers learn how to channel that effect and make it stronger

Biochemistry - Week Thirteen - The Body's Ecosystem

Examine your own diet for the coming week and use the four NOVA Food Classifications to report on your findings in your blog.

- This was not the best week for me to be tracking my diet! I'm in a marathon of finals, so I've mostly been grabbing whatever I can get. However, even with the extra stress I didn't eat much from group 4. My worst offense was ice cream - definitely ultra processed, whoops. I also ate quite a few bagels this week. My family cooks a lot and gets a CSA share, so I'm lucky to have a lot of unprocessed or low-processed meals available at home. 

Researchers have identified some 700 microbial species that inhabit the human mouth” 

- Thats just another reminder of how we have more non-human cells in our bodies than human cells - so wild! 

July 29 - Biology - Vaccination

Ø    Should “parents take a more active role in designing their children’s immunization schedule”?

Ø    Would you support making vaccination programs “compulsory”?

- I'm not sure about the first point. I'm a little torn because I think that vaccines are necessary and life-saving but I'm not convinced we need to give babies multiple vaccines in one day. I feel like a big part of that is probably convenience for the producers of vaccines and doctors, whereas it could be healthier/less emotionally and physically traumatic for a baby to get them each on different days. 

- I do support making vaccines compulsory. They already practically are, and the rates of so many life threatening diseases have plummeted because of this. When I was younger I was friends with some militant health-craze types who said that vaccines are poison and cause all sorts of disease, and I was impressionable and thought they might be right. But through my own research and through being friends with many immunocompromised and autistic people, I've learned that vaccines are completely necessary

Chemistry July 3: A question of balance and alchemy

Post your thoughts on the diet suggestions in pH Balance: Acids &Alkalis & Anti-Oxidants

It's interesting that the alkaline to acid gradient here seems to fall along the same lines of healthy to unhealthy for many other factors, such as fake sugars/unhealthy fats/high processed foods etc. It looks like "alkaline" can be almost synonymous with "healthy". I know our western medicine teacher says that alkaline diets are a fad because our body pH has to stay within a very small, specific margin, and if we were truly "acidic" it would be a medical emergency. I wonder where the truth lies...

Classical Physics

• Newton’s Three Laws and me
• Our “Energy Efficient” Culture
• Descartes has a lot to answer for!

1) Newton's 3 laws are as follows:

1. Every object in a state of uniform motion will remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it
2. Force equals mass times acceleration 
3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

In terms of the first law, I figure this includes the force of the molecules making up the atmosphere around an object, and wonder if that means that an object accelerating within a vacuum is the only type of object that would not eventually stop or slow acceleration. The second is pretty straightforward, and as for the third...you could definitely apply this law beyond physics! Although when I think about it, sometimes it doesn't work out. Like, if you punch someone, they might punch you back. Maybe that's equal, but is it opposite? Possibly, if you see a punch going in the opposite direction as "opposite" to that first punch. But if you are caring for someone, and they care for you back, is that opposite? Seems more "the same" than opposite. Maybe its not possible to translate this physics equation into human interactions after all.

2) I really hope that our culture becomes more energy efficient. Right now, it feels like we're so wasteful. So many lights on in rooms with no one in them, such dirty fuel being burned when there are many viable alternatives. I wonder why the gym I go to isnt being powered by the energy created from all those treadmills rather than an outside (and likely dirty) electricity source. We need to become more efficient, as quickly as possible. It still may not be enough to stave off the worst effects of global warming, but its worth a shot

Cell Biology: HIV and AIDS

• How do you feel about western approaches to HIV/AIDS?
• What are your thoughts on the issues around the PrEP treatment?
• Can TCM strengthen our immune systems?

1) I think that medical professionals are doing what they can, with the tools that they have, to prevent the spread of and improve the life of those with HIV/AIDs. Antiretroviral drugs and preventative medicines like PrEP and PeP have saved, prolonged, and improved many lives. I'd like to see more of a focus on curing the disease, and on getting these life-saving medications to the global population 

2) I think PrEP is vital and important medicine. I have many friends who are on it, and I sleep more soundly at night knowing they are protecting themselves in this way. I think the main barriers to access are a lack of education/information, and slut-shaming/guilting of people who could benefit from it. The fact is, humans have sex, often with people we don't know well, and we need to get over puritanical attitudes about morality. These are the same attitudes that prevented public and governmental mobilization when HIV was first spreading in the US - and resulted in the deaths of so many people. PrEP saves lives, and it should be available at no cost to anyone who needs it. 

3) Of course! TCM supports the body to achieve a greater state of harmony, which strengthens all of our systems, including our immune systems. I think TCM can be helpful for anyone who is struggling with autoimmune diseases

Cell Biology and Cancer

• How sophisticated is our understanding of cancer?
• How does a TCM approach to cancer differ?

1) I think we are still in the middle stages of understanding cancer. If we were further along, we would have more effective cures and prevention protocols. Cancer is tricky because while there are some overlapping facts about all cancers, every kind of cancer is unique, and even specific types of cancers are different in different bodies. This makes cancer more of an umbrella term for many diseases, and the unique-ness of every person's cancer means that standardized approaches, which western medicine is so fond of, doesn't always work well. 

2) TCM is about treating a person with cancer, rather than treating cancer. So, rather than giving someone a drug or treatment that is meant to attack or kill a person's cancer cells, TCM practitioners would focus on strengthening a person's constitution and helping to balance their energy so the person's system was strong enough to fight the cancer off on its own. 

Physics Week 7 - Chaos Theory

• Ordered Chaos - does this sound familiar?
• Fractals as patterns of complex systems
• Consciousness out of chaos?

Ordered chaos sounds familiar! Reminds me of my bedroom when I was a kid, or the roads in cities in Iran. It looks totally wild and chaotic, but somehow it still functions. This could also be applied to our government, which is completely enmeshed in a million rules and procedures but somehow is still totally chaotic. 

Fractals: It seems to me like fractals are a representation of looking at the micro to understand the macro, and vice versa, which is something we do in TCM. Somehow, even in complex systems where chaos seems to reign supreme, certain patterns and relationships emerge. 

Consciousness: I think consciousness is a way that order comes out of chaos, and that its ordered-ness is very precarious. It's a way for the universe to notice, and to observe, and there are patterns that can be observed through consciousness. However I think because of entropy we are always sliding back towards chaos

Chemistry Week 6

• Test your understanding of hypotheses – try Avogadro's Hypothesis and report back on your findings
• What exactly is a mole? - try "What Is a Mole, Checking Out the Mole"

Avogadro's hypothesis site not working :(

What is a mole: The mass of substance containing the same number of fundamental units as there are atoms in exactly 12.000 g of ¹²C. Fundamental units may be atoms, molecules, or formula units, depending on the substance concerned. An amount of any chemical compound that is equal to the combined atomic weights or the molecular weight, expressed in grams, contains 602,213,670,000,000,000,000,000 molecules.

Physics Week 6: Vibrations

Are all vibrations "good":
- the first thing that comes to my mind if earthquakes, and how if you're a human hanging out when the earth shakes around you, it's not a good vibration! It is interesting to note that earthquakes often create new environments for new plants and animals, so guess it all depends on your perspective. 

Resonance in my world:
- I live in west oakland, near where the nimitz freeway collapsed. There's a little memorial park that's kindof overgrown and forgotten-looking, and I wonder how many people living in west oakland today were directly affected by that disaster. I know if will only be a matter of time before the next quake, and I wonder if there is any way to predict what kind of resonance a quake will produce

Connections between Energy and Qi:
I think that qi is energy that is temporarily in your body. It is your being's energy, the energy of your life-force that you borrow from the universe. Qi moves in waves and has far-reaching effects, and can move out of your body as you expend energy and when you die. 

Biology: The Pattern of Life

Distinguishing between living and non-living systems:

- for me, living means some kind of push towards growth and homeostasis. Also some kind of respiration i.e. taking in from the environment and processing on the inside. But I'm open to changing my mind/being proven wrong (I'm thinking about crystals and how they grow and change over time and wondering if they could be classified as living by some standards). 

Getting back to nature:

- As a certified plant and nature person, I know that I need to spend time outside and in nature as often as possible in order to feel balanced, peaceful, and alive. I'm wary of "fixes" like grounding mats that try to say "get the benefits of nature without actually interacting with nature!" because I think its truly missing the point and having a reductionist view of the benefit of time spend in nature. It's similar to how western medicine extracts one thing from a plant and says that the medicine is better/as good as the plant. There's a lot to be missed when you don't actually spend quality time outside, and a lot of it cant be quantified. 

Chemistry Week 5

Colors of your kitchen:

There are many colors in my kitchen! The colors in my cupboards and fridge ranges from green (arugula, kale, zucchini) to blue(berries), pink (chard), yellow (beans), red (beans, fruit), and orange(s). I guess that means I'm staying up on the colors to take care of my whole physical and energetic body! I don't always have blue and purple foods around, and should probably buy more purple yams and cabbage. 

Physics Week 5

My Asymmetrical World:
I like thinking about how the world is actually asymmetrical. I think as humans we often see balance and symmetry as some kind of goal or ideal, when really that's pretty unrealistic and unnatural. I'm thinking about asymmetry when it comes to power and relationships, and how people don't need to be exactly balanced in order to thrive and can achieve harmony through interpersonal support. For example I'm really good at organization, emotional support and keeping track of what needs to be done when, my partner is really good at fixing things when they break and de-escalating conflict, and my housemate/best friend is really good at taking care of our animals and plants and cooking. We don't need to be perfectly symmetrical within ourselves to be part of a functioning whole. 

CP violation: I think this is fascinating! I don't exactly know what the implications are, why it happens or what it ultimately means, other than it means that there is more going on than we can comprehend. And I love that! What is the hidden force that led to our current matter-dominant universe? Maybe we're not meant to know. 

Chemistry Week 4

: ØDiscover your “Transitional Metal of the Week” and post a brief description ØPost your thoughts on Green Chemistry 

Transitional Metal of the Week: Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It is the 9th-most abundant element in the earth's crust and has a silver color, low density, and high strength. Titanium is resistant to corrosion in sea water, aqua regia, and chlorine, making it a favorite for industry. It is often alloyed with iron, aluminum, vanadium, molybdenum and other elements to produce strong, lightweight alloys for aerospace. It is used in medical prosthesis, dental, agriculture, automotive, jewelry, and cellphones. Significant titanium-bearing deposits exist in western Australia, Canada, China, India, Mozambique, New Zealand, Norway, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Ukraine. Nettles contain about 80 parts per million of titanium. 

Thoughts on Green Chemistry:
I think the goals of green chemistry are excellent. It would be prudent for these concepts to be incorporated by all manufacturers and businesses working with and creating chemicals. It's funny that many industry-supporting politicians and people wouldn't support these initiatives because they would consider them to be "bad for business", but what's really the worst for business is our planet becoming uninhabitable. 

Physics Week 4

- I'm sure e=mc2 has affected me in many ways that I can't conceptualize. I know the equation explains how matter can be converted to energy and energy can be converted back to mass, which is how nuclear fusion works. From what I can gather, none of the stars or other masses in the universe would exist the way they do without the impact of this equation..so clearly I wouldn't exist either. 

-Compare the 4 forces:

- Strong Nuclear force: a force that acts between 2 or more protons and neutrons inside the nucleus of an atom. It is the fastest force and stores a large amount of energy. The strongest force present in nature. 
- Weak nuclear force: acts between leptons, is stronger than gravity, is involved in decay, most effective in short distance
- Electromagnetic-  is the combination of all electrical and magnetic forces, acts between particles, can attract or repulse.
- Gravity: gravity causes objects to curve towards each other in space-time, such as placing two objects on a stretched out sheet

Loafing USA

6/21/19: Its my birthday, and I spent time sitting by the bay, alone, watching the birds and touching the plants. I felt grounded, and like it was very easy for me to feel my feelings.

6/22/19: Took a bath, added essential oils and just loafed feeling the warmth and smelling the smells. Coudlve stayed forever if I didn't have plans...

6/23/19: Whoops, I didn't loaf today. Too busy studying...although I did read my book for a bit before bed, maybe that counts?

6/24/19: Reflecting on my year and realizing that I've definitely made some changes in my life to reflect the importance of being in the moment, doing nothing, and relaxing. I changed my relationship with social media: I only go on for 5 minutes every other day, rather than what was sometimes an hour or more of scrolling. I've also put up some barriers around my partner's social media use. They are definitely a social media/phone addict, and reach for their phone pretty much any time they arent actively using their hands for something else. While I don't feel inclined to try to change their behavior (besides shining like the sun, enjoying my freedom and lack of accountability to technological disruptions), I have started implementing "I dont want to know" rules with them after dinner - basically meaning that if they read something after dinner on social media, I don't want to know about it. It's been really helpful bc I'm pretty hopelessly sensitive and I'm learning that I need to have boundaries around my empathy/information processing if I'm going to thrive.

6/25/19: I'm really feeling the call to loaf lately...which doesn't exactly align with the fact that I'm taking 27 credits this semester. But on the other hand maybe this is exactly the right time for me to make sure that I prioritize relaxing and comfortably doing nothing. I've been really enjoying the book I'm currently reading, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell. Here are some of my favorite quotes so far:

"In a situation where every waking moment has become the time in which we make our living. and when we submit even our leisure for numerical evaluation via likes on Facebook and Instagram, constantly checking on its performance like one checks a stock, monitoring the ongoing development of our personal brand, time becomes an economic resources that we can no longer justify spending on "nothing""

"The means by which we give over our hours and days are the same with which we assault ourselves with information and misinformation, at a frankly inhuman rate"

"Direct sensuality in all its more-than-human-mystery, remains the sole solid touchstone for an experiential world now inundated with electronically generated vistas and engineered pleasures; only in regular contact with the tangible ground and sky can we learn ho to orient and navigate in multiple dimensions"

"The disturbance of the soul cannot be ended nor true joy created either by the possession of the greatest wealth or by honor and respect in the eyes of the mob or by anything else that is associated with causes of unlimited desire"

"We need distance and time to be functional enough to do or think anything meaningful at all"

"Give yourself the critical break that media cycles and narratives will not, allowing yourself to believe in another world while living in this one"

"As the attention economy works to keep us trapped in a frightful present, it only becomes more important not just to recognize past versions of our predicament but to retain the capacity for an imagination somehow untainted by disappointment"

I think these concepts really align with the loafing assignment, and I wholeheartedly agree with them!

Biology Week 4

Semenya Article:

I'm really glad that Semenya is appealing the unfair, sexist, and racist ruling by CAS. Semenya and her peers with differences in sex development are legally women, and therefore should be allowed to compete in women's sports. Differences in development affect most winning international athletes - it takes much more than hours put in/work ethic/dedication to become a winning olympic athlete. It takes genetic advantage. That's obvious in so many ways, but Semenya is being targeted because she is a Black woman who doesnt fit into the ruling body's standards of femininity. I hope that this case will resolve in a just way, though I don't expect a positive outcome.

Gaia theory:

I definitely think that the earth is a complete, living organism. It's hard for me to understand how and why anyone would think it wasn't, but I know that many people just see it as a random rock to exploit for their petty personal gain.

Chemistry Week 3

Element of the Week: Gold (Au)

Discovered: approximately 3,000 bc.

A soft metal with a characteristic yellow colour. It is chemically unreactive, although it will dissolve in aqua regia (a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids). Most mined gold is stored as bullion. It is also, however, used extensively in jewellery, either in its pure form or as an alloy. The term ‘carat’ indicates the amount of gold present in an alloy. 24-carat is pure gold, but it is very soft. 18- and 9-carat gold alloys are commonly used because they are more durable. Dentists sometimes use gold alloys in fillings, and a gold compound is used to treat some cases of arthritis. Gold nanoparticles are increasingly being used as industrial catalysts. Vinyl acetate, which is used to make PVA (for glue, paint and resin), is made using a gold catalyst.

Group	11	Melting point	1064.18°C, 1947.52°F, 1337.33 K
Period	6	Boiling point	2836°C, 5137°F, 3109 K
Block	d	Density (g cm−3)	19.3
Atomic number	79	Relative atomic mass	196.967

Comment on "From Lipstick to Burgers"

This article was majorly depressing. The only good point was the excellent historical framing, and the fact that Monsanto actually lost a case to someone last year and has to pay up. Nearly everyone I love has some form of chronic illness, and I think the fact that we're swimming in a soup of barely-if-ever tested chemicals has a lot to do with our rising rates of chronic disease and cancer. I really can't believe that Roundup is still legal, and hope that it will become illegal in my lifetime.

Comment on "Advancing Green Chemistry" website
This was a heartening place to look after the depression of the above article :) It's good to see that a group of conscientious ppl are putting in a concerted effort to make changes that will protect our future as a planet and a species. I wish that everyone on the path to become a chemist, engineer, or other kind of scientist was required to take a course on green chemistry.

Physics Week 3

All the evidence I've found for synchronicity tend to come from my own life, and the experiences I've heard of others. I'm one of those people that always knew who was calling, when I was a kid before we had caller ID. There have been too many coincidences in my life for me to believe entirely in linear time, and I think that the ways that we effect each other extend far beyond the realm of the physical. One of my teachers told me to look at the life we have while we're awake as if we're in a dream - for example, if you in a dream talking to someone wearing a bright blue shirt, and then later in the dream you saw a plant that was the exact same color blue, you would likely consider those to be significant details upon waking. But when those kinds of things happen in this reality, we rarely notice. I try to pay attention to my waking life as if I'm in a dream, and notice the ways that everything is linked. I think its possible that this reality is also a dream we're all dreaming.

Biology Week 3

1. I think the fact that our DNA is so closely aligned with chimps has two impacts. One, it shows how similar we are to chimps, and to other animals that we share much of our DNA with. To me it demonstrates that we need to rethink our superiority, and align ourselves more closely with animals. On the other hand, its interesting that such a small amount of DNA would lead to differences that are in some ways so vast. Its wild to me that such tiny tweaks of genes give rise to traits that have allowed a single species to entirely overpopulate and destroy the planet.

2. The article I read (which may not have been the one that was linked to as my link was broken, but was on the same topic) was entirely positive about the new breakthrough. It talked about how further down the line, this work could lead to new drugs and more disease-resistant bodies.

 In terms of making a living organism out of entirely altered DNA, I have mixed feelings. Like all scientific and technological advancements and discoveries, I know this knowledge could get applied in positive ways in the future, such as altering our DNA so we don't develop disastrous diseases. But I know that humans always find a way to use new technology for warfare and cruelty, and I worry about this being used to create superbugs, supertoxins, and supersoldiers.

Chemistry Week 2

I've been thinking about our conversation on antidepressants found in fish brains. I think its alarming that our antidepressant use has increased so much, but I don't think the antidepressants are the issue. I think that our world is becoming less and less bearable for many people. People are isolated by economics, and a social and medical structure lacking in community and compassion. I think we definitely need to create an updated filtration system for our water to directly address the issue of the pollution, and we need to work collectively to make our communities more supportive for those who are most at risk of isolation and sickness.

I'm sure I would be appalled to see my own personal trash heap. Personally, I recycle and compost, but I wonder how much of that recycling and compost is actually missing the landfill. I don't necessarily trust our goverments to but a lot of effort into properly recycling. And I don't personally believe that individual efforts will have a major effect on pollution, unless those efforts are to completely demolish and recreate our governmental and economic systems so they are not so slanted towards those who are becoming rich off destroying the planet.

Physics Week 2

I’m really fascinated by the uncertainty principle. I love the concept that we affect something just by observing it. It makes sense to me, but I can see how it may be very frustrating to many western scientists. Embracing the idea that we could all be impacting each other just by looking, thinking, or feeling is very hard to “quantify” using western scientific methods, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. I think in terms of causality, we may need to stretch our understanding beyond what we can “test” for in order to understand what can be a cause and an effect.

Yes, the universe is so weird. Quantum entanglement? What’s up with that? Why did the Big Bang happen? What is the universe expanding into? Why can we explain so much with numbers (what made it so perfect) and why are there things that happen that make the numbers fall apart?

Biology Week 2

The subject of evo-devo is one of those topics where all I can think about is that however much we know, there is so much more we don't. Even when we have new fossil findings, it will always be tip of the iceberg and we'll always be stumbling in the dark to a certain degree. The vast majority of fossils from that time period are unfindable, and even when they are we are just making our best guesses about what everything means. I think its funny that we struggle with the idea of primitive humanoids doing things like traveling by water, and make up pretty wild hypothesis like people surviving being moved from one land mass to another via typhoon. Our egos crop up in funny ways. 

This has been a strange week for sleep on my end. I'm usually the kind of person who falls and stays asleep very easily, and I generally get 7-9 hours a night. This week in particular was full of vivid dreams, especially the night of the full moon. I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept much, because I was so active in the dream realm. I feel pretty connected to the moon phases, as I track them for the sake of spirituality, and I'm not surprised that western scientists have found that we sleep the most fitfully during the full moon. 

Chemistry Week 1

Hey everyone, Bridget here. I had such a bad time with chemistry in high school, I nearly failed it. For a total academic nerd like me, it was humbling and intensely stressful. I couldn't grasp the math - which was basically the entire presentation of the subject. I even had a stress dream about failing chemistry last weekend! I'm relieved to hear that I may not need to memorize complex equations every week to get by, which will probably help me actually engage with the subject.

As for the quiz, I incorrectly guessed that rusting of iron is a physical change, and that table salt is a pure substance. Now I know ;)

I checked out the first two links for the periodic tables, as the other ones weren't working for me for some reason. My strongest impression was remembering how many blank spaces/place holders used to be in the radioactive/manmade portion of the table when I was in high school, and how they're all filled up now.

Physics Week 1

Hi everyone, Bridget here. I'm excited to be in a physics class that will be mostly working with words and concepts rather than math :) I took a 2 physics classes in high school, but its been a long while.

I thought the description of M-time vs P-time was fascinating. As someone whose family lives in the Middle East, it really is remarkable how differently the society is set up, and I think a lot of it has to do with differing perspectives on time. Whenever I visit Iran, its the longest month of my life. Much of it has to do with the difference in pacing - the culture is collectivist rather than capitalist, and leisure/family time/time spent in community are what is centered as the most important things in life, rather than work/material gain/individual achievement. People have very deep connections with multiple generations of their families, and working for money takes up much less of the day. Waking up and going to work for a few hours, coming home for a long lunch and multihour nap, and maybe (or maybe not) going back to work for a couple more hours is common. It was interesting how uncomfortable I sometimes became with doing "nothing" all day. I'm used to a life that is scheduled and jam-packed, and I'm used to feeling a bit uncomfortable if I'm not actively working on "achieving" multiple goals at once. Time is relative, perhaps?

Biology Week 1 2019 Intro

Hey there friends, I'm Bridget. This is my third trimester at ACCHS, and I'm excited about being in this class as I've heard good things. As an herbalist and a healer, I'm always down to learn more about how everything works. 

The article on tetrachromia was really interesting, especially the concept that people who have this extraordinary condition don't know they have it. I wonder what the world looks like when you can see 99 million more colors than everyone else, and wonder if people with this condition are more likely to go into the arts. This also got me thinking about our other senses - are there people who have super-hearing, or super-smelling, or the ability to perceive a much lighter than average touch? Findings like these really touch on the diversity of humans, and how "normal" is so relative, like how there can be people walking around thinking they fall into "normal" categorization but really see 99 million more colors than everyone else.