10 Badass Superpowers Everybody Has

6. Your Fingertips Can Detect Microscopic Objects

Turns out we all have the magic touch: scientists in Sweden found that people can detect nano-scale wrinkles while running their fingers upon a seemingly smooth surface.

The study marks the first time that scientists have quantified how people feel, in terms of a physical property. One of the authors, Professor of Surface Chemistry Mark Rutland, said that the human finger can discriminate between surfaces patterned with ridges as small as 13 nanometres in amplitude and non-patterned surfaces.

"This means that, if your finger was the size of the Earth, you could feel the difference between houses from cars," he said.

When a finger is drawn over a surface, vibrations occur in the finger. People feel these vibrations differently on different structures. The friction properties of the surface control how hard we press on the surface as we explore it. A high friction surface requires us to press less to achieve the optimum friction force.

Well, so what? According to Rutland, the discovery allows us to actually design how things feel. So your phone's touch screen could be altered with vibrations to feel like wood, wool, or... well, who knows where dating apps might take it. We could also make a shampoo that changes the feeling of your hair, of if you're bald, makes it feel like you have hair! If only...