Imagine you had a superpower and didn't even realize it. Many people have genetic mutations that aren't harmful, and some are even beneficial. You wouldn't know about the mutation until the differences from other people are pointed out to you. Australian-American Concetta Antico knew at age five that she would become an artist. She grew up to be an artist and art teacher in San Diego. For years she would describe colors that her students could not see. Only after a few years of teaching did Antico learn about tetrachromacy, a genetic mutation that endows a person with four types of cone cells in their eyes, as opposed to the three that most humans possess. That condition enables Antico to see around 100 million colors, compared to the million or so that average person can distinguish.
The revelation brought new understanding to Antico, about her students' limitations and about her own art. Read about tetrachromat Concetta Antico at The Messenger.
(Image courtesy of Concetta Antico)