12-Year-Old Amazes Scientific Community with Discovery About the Human Eye

A 12-year-old from New York recently amazed the global scientific community with an optical illusion that provides insights into how the human eye functions by demonstrating how the cones in our eyes cooperate when one becomes 'tired'.

The girl, named Ishana Kumar, participated in a science project organized by 'Broadcom MASTERS' and the 'Society for Science & the Public', in which hundreds of young scientists took part, but only 30 reached the final stage.

Studying at Robert A. Bell School in New York, Kumar was able to prove with a common illusion how the way we perceive colors can be deceptive. "Color is in the eye of the beholder. For example, if I stare at a bright red object for a long time, then look at a white page, I will see the shape of the red object, but it will appear green instead of red."

"The reason this happens is that we have special cells in our eyes called cones. The red cones are the ones that perceive red color, but when we look at something for too long, these cones get tired, so the green cones take over for a short time," Kumar explains.

In an interview with a local TV show, Kumar used a Benham's disk - a black and white disk that spins, creating the illusion of another image and additional perceived colors. Using this disk, Kumar aimed to see if she could temporarily saturate the eyes and if it would alter color perception.

In an interview with Westchester Magazine, Kumar said she has always been fascinated by how we perceive colors through illusions. "It's fascinating. A simple illusion of rotating black and white colors can trick our complex brain. It's amazing that we perceive something even if it doesn't exist."

As part of her research, Kumar tested 10 people by presenting them with various red objects until their red cones became tired. She then showed them the Benham's disk and asked what colors they saw. Impressively, 83% reported seeing additional colors. "From this, I concluded there's a strong connection between the cones in the eye, and they cooperate fruitfully when needed," she summarizes, adding that further research could uncover "more visual perception anomalies."

Kumar's significant contribution to science earned her a nice cash award of $25,000.