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In 1993, inspired by H G Wells’s short story ‘The Country of the Blind’ (1904), the renowned neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks set out to study life on Pingelap – a small Micronesian island where an estimated tenth of the population has achromatopsia, a rare genetic disorder that leaves people close to or entirely colourblind. The results of Sacks’s investigation, compiled in his book The Island of the Colorblind (1996) and explored in this brief animation featuring audio excerpted from a 1998 radio interview, attests to the brain’s – and societies’ – astonishing ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
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Mood and emotion
‘Let me dream you into my reality’: memories illuminate an unthinkable isolation
12 minutes
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Personality
Wesley wants to solve the rooftop mystery – but does he have what it takes?
14 minutes
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Love and friendship
Skiing blind is a challenge – but it helps to have a loved one to guide you
20 minutes
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Art
A massive art installation attempts to put the COVID-19 deaths in perspective
15 minutes
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Music
Nick ponders the life of the mysterious girl whose used CDs shaped his teenage years
5 minutes
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Mood and emotion
A century of letters captures the emotions of life in a new city, far from home
21 minutes
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Ageing and death
Death is a trip – how new research links near-death and DMT experiences
9 minutes
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Technology and the self
Adaptive technologies have helped Stephen Hawking, and many more, find their voice
5 minutes
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Gender and identity
‘When you’re done, you stay human!’ What gender transition means to John
6 minutes