Computer Program Allows the Blind To "See" With Sound

sciencehabit writes "Scientists have developed an algorithm that converts simple grayscale images into musical soundscapes. Even people blind from birth can use the technology to 'see' their surroundings and navigate around a room. Equally intriguing, the part of the subject's brain responsible for vision was active during these tasks, suggesting our thinking about how the brain works may be wrong. Instead of a 'vision center' of the brain, for example, we may actually have a region that helps us 'see', whether that input comes from sight or sound."

Re:Development in Science

[narcc]

It's not science or scientists so much as it is the thundering hoard of scientifically illiterate science cheerleaders -- the self-appointed elite defenders of "science".

They're worse than creationists.

Somewhat old news

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a friend who is working on his PHD in experimental psychology at the moment, and we had a discussion about this 4 or so years ago. Apparently this is the new paradigm of thinking in the neuroscience world, or has been on the verge of becoming the new paradigm for some time now. The brain is just a pattern recognition engine, in much the same way that we are able to wire a monkeys brain to a robotic arm, and over time have that brain adapt to control this new appendage, the brain will take any signal that seems like it might be visual and process it as such.

Except It Doesn't

[Baby Duck]

This does not change how we think of the brain. We've know for decades from synesthesia that sensory cortices have no choice but to process any inputs they receive.