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9. Supertasters
Supertasters are individuals who experience taste with a heightened intensity compared to the rest of the population. This sensitivity is believed to stem from having additional fungiform papillae (the mushroom-like structures on the tongue that contain taste buds). When it comes to the five basic tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami—a supertaster often finds bitterness to be the most pronounced.
The phenomenon of differing taste abilities was first noted by chemist Arthur Fox from DuPont, who introduced people to the compound Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). Some individuals could taste its bitterness, while others could not. This ability depended on one’s genetic makeup, and this test is now frequently used as part of genetic studies. While roughly 70% of people can taste PTC, about two-thirds of them experience it with moderate intensity, while only a third (approximately 25% of the population) qualify as supertasters.
Supertasters often find certain foods, especially bitter ones like brussel sprouts, cabbage, coffee, and grapefruit juice, unappealing. Women, Asians, and Africans are more likely to possess the higher number of fungiform papillae that categorize them as supertasters.
8. Absolute pitch
Individuals with absolute pitch can identify and reproduce a tone without relying on an external reference. It isn’t just an enhanced hearing ability, but a skill to mentally categorize sounds into recognized groups. This can include identifying the pitch of everyday sounds (such as horns, sirens, and engines), singing a specific note without a reference, naming the notes in a chord, or identifying the key signature of a song. All these actions involve cognitive processes, requiring one to recall the frequency of each tone, label it (e.g., ‘A’, ‘C#’, or ‘F-flat’), and have enough exposure to understand the full range of sounds within each category. It’s debated whether absolute pitch is a genetic trait or a learned skill, influenced by early exposure to music, similar to how children identify colors based on frequency exposure.
Estimates suggest that around 3% of the general population in the US and Europe have absolute pitch, while the percentage increases to 8% among semi-professional or professional musicians in these regions. In contrast, about 70% of musicians at music conservatories in Japan possess this ability. This significantly higher rate might be linked to growing up in a tonal (Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese) or pitch accent (Japanese) language environment. Additionally, absolute pitch is more common in those born blind, individuals with William’s Syndrome, or those on the autism spectrum.
7. Tetrachromacy
Tetrachromacy is the ability to perceive light from four distinct sources. In the animal kingdom, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a prime example, as it can detect light from the red, green, blue, and ultraviolet parts of the light spectrum. However, true tetrachromacy in humans is exceedingly rare—according to Wikipedia, only two potential tetrachromats have been identified.
Humans are typically trichromats, meaning they possess three types of cone cells that detect light from the red, green, or blue parts of the light spectrum. Each cone cell can register around 100 variations of color, and the brain combines these colors and variations, resulting in about 1 million distinct hues in our visual world. A genuine tetrachromat, with an extra type of cone situated between red and green (in the orange spectrum), could theoretically distinguish up to 100 million colors.
Similar to supertasting, tetrachromacy is believed to be far more common in women than in men—estimates range from 2-3% to as high as 50% of women. Interestingly, color blindness in men (which is more frequent than in women) might be inherited from women who possess tetrachromacy.
6. Echolocation
Echolocation is the technique used by bats to navigate through dark forests—they emit a sound, wait for the echo to return, and use the timing and quality of the sound in each ear to determine the location and distance of objects. Surprisingly (though perhaps not for this list!), humans are also capable of using echolocation. This ability is most often found in blind individuals, as it requires significant practice and heightened sensitivity to reflected sound.
To use echolocation, a person actively produces a sound (such as tapping a cane or clicking their tongue) and then interprets the returning echoes to locate nearby objects. Skilled echolocators can often determine the position, size, and density of objects. However, because humans cannot generate or hear the higher-frequency sounds used by bats and dolphins, they can only perceive objects that are larger compared to what echolocating animals can detect.
Notable people with echolocation abilities include James Holman, Daniel Kish, and Ben Underwood. One of the most incredible and well-documented cases is that of Ben Underwood, who lost both eyes to retinal cancer at the age of three. His remarkable ability to echolocate is featured in the video above (warning: the scene where he inserts his prosthetic eyeballs may be unsettling for some viewers).
5. Genetic Chimerism
In Homer's Iliad, he depicted a creature with body parts from various animals—a chimera. The name of this mythological monster gave rise to the genetic term 'chimerism.' Genetic chimerism, or tetragametism, occurs in humans and other animals when two fertilized eggs or embryos fuse together early in pregnancy. Each zygote carries its own unique DNA, and when they merge, both genetic profiles remain, resulting in a mixture of both. Essentially, a human chimera is their own twin.
Chimerism in humans is extremely rare, with only about 40 documented cases according to Wikipedia. DNA tests are commonly used to determine biological relationships between parents and children, and these tests can sometimes reveal chimerism when DNA results show discrepancies. For example, in Lydia Fairchild's case, DNA testing suggested she wasn’t the biological mother of her children, as the results showed her children inherited a different genetic profile than her blood test indicated.
Humans born with chimerism typically have immune systems that tolerate both genetically distinct cell populations within their body. This allows chimeras a greater chance of finding a compatible organ donor, as they have a broader genetic variety to match potential transplants.
4. Synesthesia
Imagine consistently associating numbers or letters with specific colors, or hearing a particular word that triggers a unique taste sensation on your tongue. These are examples of synesthesia, a neurological condition where stimulation in one sensory or cognitive pathway results in an involuntary response in another. Synesthesia is not a learned behavior but a natural phenomenon.
Synesthesia is usually hereditary, and the most common form is grapheme-color synesthesia, where letters, numbers, or symbols are linked to specific colors. Other forms of synesthesia include special-sequence synesthesia (such as where dates have particular spatial locations), ordinal linguistic personification (where numbers are associated with personalities), and sound-to-color synesthesia (where musical tones are perceived as colors).
Although synesthesia is a neurological condition, it should not be seen as a disorder, as it generally does not interfere with a person's daily life. Many people with synesthesia are unaware that their sensory experiences are more complex than those of others, and those who are aware typically view their condition as a neutral or even positive aspect of their lives.
Estimates of how many people have synesthesia vary, with predictions ranging from 1 in 20 to 1 in 20,000. A study from 2005-2006, based on a random population sample, suggested that about 1 in 23 individuals have some form of synesthesia. Famous synesthetes include author Vladimir Nabokov, composer Olivier Messiaen, and scientist Richard Feynman. Daniel Tammet, a synesthete and mental calculator, is another example, as he sees numbers in shapes and textures.
3. Immortal cells
The only known instance of a person having immortal cells – cells capable of dividing endlessly outside the human body, bypassing the Hayflick Limit – is that of Henrietta Lacks. In 1951, 31-year-old Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which led to her death within the year. Without her knowledge or consent, a surgeon took a sample from her tumor, which was then handed over to Dr. George Gey. A scientist at Johns Hopkins University, Gey was able to cultivate the tissue into an immortal cell line, known as the HeLa cell line. These cells from Lacks’ tumor contain an active form of the telomerase enzyme, which is responsible for the abnormal, rapid division of cells. Upon her death, Dr. Gey announced the beginning of a new era in medical research, one that could potentially lead to a cancer cure.
In 1954, Jonas Salk used HeLa cells to develop the polio vaccine. Since then, these cells have been essential in research involving cancer, AIDS, radiation, toxic substances, and gene mapping, among others.
Today, HeLa cells are so widespread in laboratories that they often contaminate other cell cultures, rendering some biological experiments unreliable. In fact, there are more HeLa cells alive today than when Henrietta Lacks was alive, and their mass far exceeds hers. Tragically, Lacks never knew the monumental contribution her cells made to science, and her family was unaware of the research until many years later. In 1990, a court ruling confirmed that her discarded tissues and cells belonged to the hospital where she was treated. For a deeper understanding of Henrietta Lacks' life and the repercussions of her cancer, I highly recommend reading this story.
2. Eidetic memory
When someone possesses a photographic memory or an exceptional ability to recall details, it’s referred to as eidetic memory. This condition allows individuals to recall sounds, images, or objects with remarkable accuracy. Notable examples of eidetic memory include Akira Haraguchi, who recited the first 100,000 decimal places of pi from memory, and Stephen Wiltshire, an autistic savant who recreated an accurate drawing of Rome. Kim Peek, the inspiration for the character Raymond Babbitt in the film Rain Man (although Peek himself was not autistic), also had eidetic memory and could recall around 12,000 books from memory.
While the existence of true photographic memory in adults remains a topic of debate, it is generally accepted that eidetic abilities are equally found in both men and women. It’s also impossible to develop eidetic memory through practice alone.
1. Mental calculators
The most exceptional group of individuals capable of performing advanced mental calculations are those with autism who also have savant syndrome. While many trained professionals, such as mathematicians, writers, and linguists, can quickly perform mental calculations, the untrained ability of autistic savants is particularly remarkable. Savant syndrome, which only affects an estimated 50% of people with autism, remains poorly understood, and only a small number of individuals develop it later in life, often due to a head injury.
Fewer than 100 prodigious savants are recognized globally, and even fewer of those with autism possess the ability to perform mental calculations. Recent studies have indicated that one factor contributing to the extraordinary speed of mental calculators is a blood flow to the brain’s mathematical processing area that is six to seven times greater than the average person’s.
Some notable individuals with extraordinary calculation skills include Daniel McCartney, Salo Finkelstein, and Alexander Aitken. Daniel Tammet is also a rare example of an autistic savant with these remarkable abilities.
