Biology Week 2 - Evo/Devo and Synesthesia

Evolution based on the process of natural selection has developed as a science since the 18th century.  Charles Darwin spent decades collecting data from around the world because he thought there might be something to the ideas presented by his father that traits could be passed from one generation to another.  From the data he was able to provide vast evident to support the fact that evolution had occurred and a plausible mechanism - natural selection.  Natural selection has been proven to be a process and that all species originated from the same single celled organism, not an idea that there was a first human, first mouse, first beetle, etc. 

Darwin did not have the modern day technology to support his studies but his studies have come to bear under the evaluation of modern technology such as gas chromatography and DNA testing.  It is just human arrogance that ignores scientific data and is insulted or uncomfortable believing that the "neanderthal" is a homo sapien's cousin or that we are relatives to primates.  How about worms?

Developmental biology today studies the development of an organism from the single cell stage to the fully developed embryo and the variations that can occur if this is not a correct and complete process.  The early developmental biologist used this concept as an argument against Darwin's theory of evolution as published in "The Origin of Species".

I think both of these sciences are a balanced blend of how species have evolved over the millennia and what and how sometimes it goes wrong.

Synesthesia is a neurological condition where stimuli pathways get crossed (sensory cross-talk).  It has to be involuntary and stable to be considered true synesthesia.  About 5% of the population has this condition.  It can be developmental(genetic) or acquired, but scientists do not know what happens in the brain to cause it.  Basically, in one type the synesthete the person will hear a sound but the stimulus will show up in their visual cortex and they will see the sound in color.  Since this condition can be hereditary OR developmental, does that mean humans have this ability hard wired in our core code and potentially could tap into it with practice?

The Bay Area has a synesthete that has created a VR 360 version of the colors she sees when she hears music.  She is a Software Engineer, Neuroscientist, and Musician.  Check it out....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=obrBAysVef0