Only 8.5% of People Can Read This: No Clickbait Here

Throughout history, there have been wonders that have belonged to specific civilizations. The Greeks had their fire; the Mayans, their calendar. As of last week, we have our ink.

Scientists working at the National Institute of Printing have created an ink that is only visible to 8.5% of humans, according to their estimates. While a study is being conducted to explain how exactly this works, the general consensus is that in a few individuals, a rare genetic mutation creates extra cones in their eyes, allowing them to have a higher degree of vision and enabling them to see the light reflected off this ink (for a more in-depth explanation, ask a biology professor). 

After pulling quite a few strings (and redirecting funds from the school’s Wi-Fi budget), we were actually able to get a small sample of the ink. The following, printed in the ink dubbed “Photoreceptor X,” is an excerpt from Hans Christian Andersen’s book, “Kejserens nye klæder”:

Once upon a time, there lived an emperor who was very vain. He was always looking for something to make him more grand, to add to his already admirable and vast wealth and fame. One day, a group of weavers came through the city, carrying their looms and wheels and tools; hidden from sight though, was a cunning idea that they possessed. Having heard all about the king, they had come up with a brilliant plan to profit off of the king’s vanity and the need of belonging from everyone else. Going up to the palace, they offered their services to the king. Now, it was no lie that this was indeed a very talented group of weavers; they spun the finest of silk fabrics and made the most colorful clothes, rivalling even rainbows in splendor. And so, upon seeing their work, the king commissioned them to fashion for him the grandest, most glamorous outfit they had ever created, and the group obliged. They had just one thing to say, “Majesty, this outfit will be so unlike anything that’s ever been done, and so it is only those of the purest heart and wisest mind who will be able to contemplate it”. The king, of course, had no doubt that this was an excellent thing and that he had no reason to worry; or so he thought. 

So, are you one of the 8.5% of people who could read it? Let us know tomorrow on our Instagram page: @uc.clocktower!

Sammy Ortiz is a junior

nursing major from

Orlando, Fla.