Brain Man

That guy's brain is absolutely incredible!!! 22,514 numbers and didn't miss a one!!! It really goes to show what the human brain is capable of . I found his discription of his thought process in "289 is an ugly number" incredibly fascinating. I wish him much success and somehow doubt he'll have any problem.

I agree that Daniel is remarkable. This article does however wrongly define the word savant which has always been used to refer to any learned scholar or person of profound or extensive learning. Only 50 savants living in the world today? I hope not!

Wow, laneofpain is right, it does show what our brain is capable of. One thing many people get wrong is that Daniel is not smart. Yes he has amazing memory and can do any math problem anyone can think about, but it is a natural ability just like us breathing or using a computer.

It is interesting that his gift is actually the result of a neurological malfunction. A friend of mine has senescence and can see people in colors. My color is orange. She said the majority of people are blue. I wonder if he has some form of this.

The article does not wrongly define the word savant. Morely Safer simply did not use the full term he meant to, because it does not apply to Daniel. The term he is refering to is "idiot savant," a term which denotes a person with amazing skill in one focused area (math, music, etc) but suffers from some form of mental disability. Autisic individuals and those with Asperger's Syndrome (like Daniel) may have been termed idiot savants much more regularly in Morely Safer's youth, however, now it is not a politically correct term.

He is not the only one. Please take a look into Ms Shakuntala Devi and you will be amazed as well.

awesome...

It is hard to believe that we have existed as long as we have, yet have only evolved to know more about others and not ourself.

I watched a documentary on savants and this individual was featured in the documentary among many others. I have not really seen anything to date that empiracally substantiates the claims surrounding his abilities, along with the other savants. Fluent in a foreign language in a week? I doubt it.

I saw a show on Discovery Science channel about Mr. Tammet a month or two ago. He really is remarkable. And the fact that scientists can ask him questions and get insight into just how the brain of a savant works is a giant leap forward into understanding the human brain. I can't recall the title of the show, but if you get Discovery Science, I highly recommend it.