Child with cat-like eyes discovered in China

[SamuelKhan]

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"Yikes" doesn't even begin to describe it...

 

[Capnmad]

Hm. The eye color aberration and spacing immediately reminded me of Waardenburg syndrome (Type I), but I'd want to have more controlled conditions to test his vision before I gave the "seeing in the dark" bit serious consideration.

 

[SamuelKhan]

Hm. The eye color aberration and spacing immediately reminded me of Waardenburg syndrome (Type I), but I'd want to have more controlled conditions to test his vision before I gave the "seeing in the dark" bit serious consideration.

Does this warrant the James Randi $1 Million Challenge for proof of supernatural phenomena? I'm sure that there's a scientific explanation for it, but there's a slight chance!

 

[fireguardian]

That's pretty awesome. I would love to keep following up on this and see if they come up with some more information.

 

[Capnmad]

No doubt. Always could be something unusual... I reckon first thing I'd test for is color blindness. May have an unusual rod/cone ratio (cones process color, and rods are more sensitive to light). But what is quite common is for there to be some genetic abnormality in someone in some remote village, and for locals to associate the aberration with magic or special powers unwarrantedly. You'll find albinos being hunted and slaughtered in Africa because they're seen variously as abominations and/or magic. In this case, they see the eyes, think they must be "special" in some way, and whammo -- he must be able to see in the dark. To see something different about the boy's eyes, and the fact that he squints a lot may just be that he's a near-sighted kid with Waardenburg's, but has little access to an optician. I guess time and testing will tell.

There are kids whose livelihoods depend on... ...was it abalone hunting, I think? Anyway, their eyes have adapted such that their pupils shrink practically to pinholes, giving them much better visual acuity in water than you or I have. So, yeah, many things are possible, and I'm not saying this kid can't see in the dark, but I am saying I'm skeptical.

 

[c7_assassin]

Awesome. Totally awesome.

 

[paracarl44]

This is rare.