Biology Week Two-Synesthesia and Evo-Devo

Natural selection or "survival of the fittest" has been the basis of our development since the beginning of time (or however way you view time after last week). We as a species of humans basically have a development system that continues to become more and more efficient with each new generation. It's like an iPhone except we're coming out with new versions every few decades or so, but in reality, I find we are in a constant state of change and adaptation. There is not one second from the next where we are the same people. The interplay between our thoughts, emotions, and physiological systems all interconnect to become a conscious being that's learning in levels that we can't comprehend. Different types of cells in our bodies renew themselves at different rates and our bodies change according to our specific habits and thoughts. Our bones will form according to where we "need" them to grow. Someone who practices kungfu everyday and is constantly hitting their legs and arms will stimulate their bones to grow thicker and stronger in the places where their body feels they need support. Likewise, someone who is more sedentary may become more prone to breaks and diseases such as osteoporosis. Our bodies are extremely intelligent and the capacity for adaptation is super strong, which is probably why we've survived this long in the food chain.

Synesthesia is just another example of evo-devo at play. Someone who won the genetic lottery and is able to taste colors or feel sounds may be evolution playing the "will this gene survive" game depending on if it's the more suitable of other traits that we have. Maybe its not as common because it's not as "necessary" for survival in this day and age. Regardless of genetics, I do believe we all have some sort of disposition to synesthesia in some way or form. On a personal note, growing up I would look at my friends and family and they would manifest as different colors and textures in my mind. For example, if I would look at my brother, colors of a dark green forest would swirl in my head with the texture of rolling mud and the shade of green would be in constant flux depending on mood, etc. I always thought everyone else saw others in that way, but evidently I kept it to myself for a long time after learning this wasn't "normal." I like to think we are able to cultivate these abilities as well, even if we're not born with them innately. In fact, one group of researchers from the University of Amsterdam (link to article below) have explored if synesthesia could be cultivated with an experiment involving colored letters, and they found that it might be possible. Overall, sight seems to be the dominating sense in our society with many materialistic values, but there is so much more to us than meets the eye ;D

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/can-you-teach-yourself-synesthesia/259519/