Which Channel are you tuned in?

Ask yourself. How many times has your intuition amazed you? You think about a song, and on your next step you hear it on a nearby radio. Your favorite RJ is on air, and you get a sense of it somewhere deep within your cerebrum even if the nearest transistor is miles away. If you believe that all these perceptions are mere coincidences then you are not alone. For decades scientist have been too obsessed with this misconception to look for a logical connection.

How would you react if I was to propose, 'Human Brains can detect Radio Waves.'? Scientific experiments are already underway to investigate this notion. Recently a research group in Miami has come up with some constructive preliminary results. But this budding issues is already being faced with growing opposition.

Proponents argue that the radio wave is no different from all other type of visible electromagnetic radiation. They are emitted by the same source and exhibit several similar properties. The only difference arises in their wave-lengths. Such difference is present even in the spectrum of visible lights.

But eyes never 'evolved' to detect these radio waves. Partly because these waves probably did not always carry enough energy to stimulate the retinal cons & rods; And partly because there was no need to either. But this doesn't mean that these waves never reach the eye. Even critics acknowledge this assertion.

Researches suggest that some of these low-energy carriers can actually stimulate the cells in the retina very much like the visible ray. Cell stimulation involves ionization of ions of Potassium (K) & Sodium (Na) and a threshold energy value is vital to attain this. Calculations suggest that some radio waves may just be able to deliver this energy quota and stimulate the optical nerves.

The most controversial debate arises when scientists acclaim the theory of the brain's interpretation of these signals. Ironically eyes here do no the seeing but the hearing. The signals carried by the optical nerves are decoded as the sensation of hearing in the lobes of our brain, if as suggested by the theory.

Critics have already viewed this notion with skeptism. Firstly the whole idea of eyes hearing challenges the foundation of the human biology. Every organ is specialized in their particular responsibility and as such the centre of the brain where the optical nerves are relayed can only interpret vision. Hitherto study hasn't identified any junction where the auditory and optic nerve may be 'mingled' up; thus unfounding the possibility of the signals reaching the hearing centre.

The broadcasted radio waves are not pure audio signals either. It is a modulated carrier wave whose either amplitude of frequency has been altered. Even if the brain was smart enough to recognize radio waves as audio signals, it would take generations of evolutions to filter or decode the embedded signal from a carrier wave. Radio communication doesn't have a very long history.

Both sides have their strengths and weaknesses. What we should understand id that the brain adopting to something new is not a miracle as such. But more incontrovertible evidence should develop before we begin to throw our radios and tune in our brain.

Have Fun!

Caesar Rana
Budhanilkantha School
07th of February, 2003

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