Project Results

About This Project

We have developed a protocol to augment human sight to see into the near infrared range through human formation of porphyropsin, the protein complex which grants infrared vision to freshwater fish.

Retinal, or Vitamin A (A1), which is found bound to opsin proteins is a keystone of the visual pathway. The cone cells are granted sharp color vision by the complex photopsin. The rod cells which provide us with night vision and recognition of movement do so utilizing rhodopsin. Both of the complexes consist of a type of protein bound to retinal. Porphyropsin differs from this in that it doesn't use retinal, but rather a derivation called 3,4-dehydroretinol, or Vitamin A2 (A2).

The human body is fully capable of metabolizing and using A2; unfortunately the proteins which allow for transport through cell membranes have nearly 4 times the affinity for A1 compared to A2. We theorize that this can be overcome through a stringent Vitamin A1 restricted diet, supplemented with Vitamin A2.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Can human sight be augmented to see into the near infrared range through human formation of porphyropsin, the protein complex which grants infrared vision to freshwater fish?

What is the significance of this project?

While the ability to see outside the normal range of human perception is, in of itself, fairly exciting, being able to do so without cumbersome electronic equipment is doubly so.

The research results will be free, open source, and replicable by the layperson.

We are also hoping to use this study as a proof of concept to continue working on a more long term modification to human vision that doesn't rely on dietary restrictions / supplementation.

What are the goals of the project?

Funding will be used to purchase the equipment and parts needed for data acquisition. The collection of meaningful data is of utmost importance in all research, and your contribution will provide access to an electroretinograph; a device which is capable of measuring the changes which occur within the test subjects eyes. This data will be compared to that acquired from the control subjects in order to determine the range of deviation.

Funding will also be used to either purchase adequate quantities of Vitamin A_2, or the reagents needed in order to produce it if this is determined to be more cost effective.