EXTRA SENSES MAKE LIFE MORE BEAUTIFUL NOW

Is perception reality, as it is touted to be? It turns out, perception is actually many realities, all of which impact our lives.

Our perceptions are created by our senses -- they are influenced by how we sense the world around us and how the information gathered by our sensory systems gets translated within our minds and bodies.

Recent studies are revealing a fascinating new array of senses, well beyond the 5 we know.

Of course we know that what we see, taste, hear, smell, & touch impacts our experiences. But also consider our other critical sensory systems.

“Proprioception” is the sense that allows us to understand our spatial relationships within our immediate surroundings so that we can coordinate our movements. It is a factor in our sense of “self.”

Semicircular canals of the inner ear contribute to our sense of balance. And our stomachs and bladders sense when they are full.

Other animal species have different types and sensitivities of senses. Dogs, for example, can smell more than humans can. And snakes, for example, can sense infrared lights, and bats can hear ultrasonic frequencies, but humans can’t.

Unlike other insects, it was discovered that the sphinx moth’s proboscis contains olfactory sensors to help it smell pollen.

Orchid bees’ ocelli (eyes) can perceive polarized light.

Some animals sense humidity. Others can sense pH. Others, like comb jellies and other invertebrates, can sense magnetic force.

Recent studies have found that sensory receptors are present in surprising areas of the body,  outside of the classic sense organs, with fascinating implications. And they play a role in our immune systems.

Taste receptors have been found all over the body, for example. They are found in testes, airways, guts, and even in sperm. They can detect nutrients and pathogens in food. They can help to regulate the immune response to bacteria and parasites. And they can influence fertility.

Receptors in the form of light-sensitive pigments in our blood vessels can regulate their level of elasticity.

WIth a better understanding of how our sensory systems function, we can develop ways to help correct malfunctions or super-functions.

Devices that replace and augment senses already exist. Cochlear implants convert auditory signal into impulses sent to the brain so hearing challenged people can hear. Vestibular implants convert balance inputs. Bionic eyes convert visual input so the blind can see.

New technologies are enabling superhuman perception by giving humans animal sensory powers. So, humans can “see” at night, just as nocturnal animals do, for example. Some enable humans to hear as if they were bats or navigate via magnetic fields as if they were birds.

“Smart skin” technologies offer touch and temperature sensors that can enable prosthetic limbs and magnetoreception. Given that our perceptions do determine our realities, our experiences of beauty will most certainly expand as our sensory capabilities do. 

Read more about Beautiful Perceptions in Beautiful Perceptions On the Street Now.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Ozzy Delaney. “Infrared Crocus.”
2. Image: by PHOTO VANOVA. “ALICIA.”
3. Image: by Hanna Alicé. “Ruhe.”
4. Image: by Travis Isaacs. “Ear.”
5. Image: by LHG Creative Photography. “Mute swan in flight again.”
6. Image: by John W. Iwanski. “Hummingbird Moth AKA White-Lined Sphinx Moth.”
7. Image: by Ricardo A B. “Euglossa mixta.”
8. Image: by Jennifer Krauel. “Comb jelly.”
9. Image:  by Nacho Rascón. “Skins.”
10. Image: by Kate. “Yummy :).”
11. Image: by Jason Snyder. “Blood vessel in GFAP-driven thymidine kinase brain.”
12. Image: by Arlen. “Sperm.”
13. Image: by Intographics. Untitled.
14. Image: by John Meadows. “IR slide047.”
15. Image: Courtesy of Professor Takao Someya & Associate Professor Tsuyoshi Sekitani, of University of Tokyo's Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO) in collaboration with Johannes Kepler University, in Linz, Austria. “Flexible touch sensor.”
16. Image: Courtesy of MIT Media Lab in collaboration with Microsoft Research. “Duoskin,” created by Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, Christian Holz, Asta Roseway, Andres Calvo, Chris Schmandt.
17. Image: by Michael Reese Much. Courtesy of Photomacrography. “Eye details of a Waved Sphinx Moth ‘Ceratomia undulosa.’”
18. Image: by BN App - Download now!
19. Image: by Miss Baker. Untitled.