bitrat

Neat! Good for you.... I hesitate to broach the subject of "designer drugs", but as a medicinal chemist, I realize ALL drugs are designed (unless they're extracted from plants) - that was just a label the media came up with, just like "bath salts". There is a relative of ketamine called methoxetamine that is available online....now I'm NOT suggesting ANYONE buy stuff like this online...it's risky business, and you need to be a chemist to really be able to test these things..... BUT......I believe methoxetamine (MXE) will be used in the future for all sorts of clinical conditions....in my experience there was a great sharpening of the senses (until you did too much n made a fool outta yourself like some drunk! ;*p) - now, without the kind of testing you guys are doing, how could one tell which senses were doing what? I will say as a musician, I noted a heightening of auditory perception, but then again, it's like the old joke: "Wow dude, last night I smoked some really good herb, and I wrote the most awesome music! Just listen to this recording I made!" (a minute or two of horrible grating guitar noises) "Errr, well, ahh.......it really sounded good last night, I swear" Ha ha ha ha! Anyway, keep up the good work.....I suspect there are people born with infrared vision (their genetic makeup?) - maybe they just perceive it as a darker red, who knows? Anyone done research on this?

Errr...I guess a question would be what frequency range are you planning to try? 700-800 nm, 700-900 nm, or even farther - 700 - 1200 nm or the like?

Once again last night I noticed how sensitive the face is to longwave IR - I was walking at night in San Francisco, and went by a store with a red neon sign, and it was really detectable - it felt like i put my face near the heating elements of an electric heater....had no idea neon lights put out that much IR, but the window was slightly warm near the sign too.....I'll bet blind people are really sensitive to this! Cheers.... =gn

Interestingly, most people can detect long wave IR...for me it's my face - if a heating element is on in a room, I can feel it on my face from across the room. Other people feel it on different parts of the body. As u pointed out, near IR is quite diferent, being just off the visual spectrum. Again, as I mentioned in the comment section, using wratten 87 filters will be a cheap and easy way to see if it's working. Normally it's like looking at a piece of black plastic - you can see the sun through them, but of course a digital camera "sees" the IR and I wonder if that isn't how it would look to us if we could see in that range.....brings up the whole idea of "false color" - where would the brain assign the new stimuli? Would it be in new shades of red or purple, or an intensification of colors already visible? This is an interesting project!

Are you guys kidding me? This is extremely exciting news,,,,LOL - hardly need any more coffee this am ;*p. Seriously this interests me on a number of levels: 1) as a medicinal chemist, I can see a series of A2 analogs being synthesized and tested, 2) The idea of chemically extending the senses is really neat, though I'd hope the first applications are for peaceful application (sorry, I'm an old hippie at heart ;*p)....3) I have had certain personal experiences that make me think that not only is this idea possible, but that there are other ways to achieve the same ends. I know you are very busy there, but I'd love to take a few minutes to discuss this project with you all...I will certainly pony up some small contribution. 4) As you no doubt know, the new digital cameras can "see" well into the near IR and near UV range - I do a bit of IR & UV photography, so I use wratten 87 filters, for example. It may be that this equipment may help you measure IR detection in a cheap and simple manner.....Finally, the phenomenon of synaesthesia may be of interest here - I've personally experienced thisto a minor degree. When your senses cross over (with me it was imagery caused by certain tones on the piano) there are rich possibilities for sensing subliminal stimuli....I would investigate a "designer drug" called MXE if I were you. Yes, it's a ketamine analog, but in miniscule amounts it has little effect except a mild sharpening of the senses. It will soon be used to treat PTSD and so on....Finally, you might want to check out the racetam group of nootropics, as they are totally nontoxic and seem to have profound effects on the ampakine system, enhancing memory and protecting the brain from various insults. Good luck with your project....cheers.