I'm reading the article "Inside the Mind of a Savant" in the current issue of Scientific American (December 2005 - not available online at the moment). It's a study of an individual savant, Kim Peek, who has especially curious talents. Among other things, he reads rapidly (about 10 seconds per page) and memorizes it all, and is somewhat unusual among savants in actually comprehending much of what he reads. Kim Peek was the inspiration for the main character in the movie Rain Main.
It's an interesting story, short, and worth reading. The illustration on p. 112, comparing a normal brain with Kim Peek's brain, is pretty cool.
If you pick up this issue, be sure to read the article "Sick of Poverty" by Robert Sapolsky, also a good read.
tags: savant, poverty
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