7 Curious Facts About The Senses

The first of the curious facts about the senses is that these are, basically, our contact with the world. These are complex functions, associated with organs of the body that have a direct connection with the brain.

In reality, the human being is one of the worst endowed animals in terms of senses. There are many species that surpass us in sight, hearing, smell and touch. However, humans have what it takes to survive with those limitations.

What the senses grasp about the world is only in our mind. It is clear that there is an external reality, but from it we can only capture what the senses allow. We even do it inaccurately: can you define what is red? Let’s see other curious facts about the senses.

1. Limitations, one of the curious facts about the senses

The first of the curious data about the senses is that in reality we do not perceive the world as it is, but as those faculties and their organs allow it. There are many aspects of reality that we will never really experience.

For example, the eye cannot pick up X-rays or ultraviolet rays. However, they do exist and can actually harm us. Nor is the ear capable of perceiving all sounds; that is why humpback whales converse and a normal human is not aware of it.

2. Curiosities of the sense of sight

There are several curious facts about the senses that have to do with sight. Let’s start by saying that each eye, or rather each eyeball, weighs around 28 grams. They are full of water.

An eye has about 130 million photosensitive cells; they are all said to fit in an area similar to that of a postage stamp. The eye  perceives around 10 million colors and the eye blinks between 10 and 24 times per minute. An average lifelong person blinks approximately 415 million times.

3. Curiosities of the sense of smell

Smell also concentrates several of the curious facts about the senses. There are about 10 million olfactory receptors in each nostril. Only 1,000 of them have specialized in capturing bad odors.

Women have more developed smell than men, and this sense is more acute in all people during childhood. If you have a cold, you can lose your sense of smell temporarily. However, some people never get it back.

4. Curiosities of the sense of taste

The flavors are perceived through the taste buds that are on the tongue and part of the palate and esophagus. We have between 8,000 and 10,000 of those papillae. However, the sense of taste cannot function if the sense of smell is not active.

For example, salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and spicy are processed through nerves at the base of the papillae. There is another flavor: umami . This is taken up by receptors sensitive to amino acids. We have two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, and a single tongue. There must be a reason.

5. Curiosities of the sense of touch

It can be said that touch is the king of the senses because it encompasses the entire extension of the body and its organ is the skin. We have 16,000 receptors for heat, 150,000 for cold, 500,000 for pressure, and 4 million for pain.

There are areas of the body that are more sensitive than others: hands, lips, face, neck, tongue, fingers and foot. Fingers are ultra-sensitive: they detect the movement of an object that moves one thousandth of a millimeter. The least sensitive skin area is the middle of the back.

6. Curiosities of the sense of hearing

One of the curious facts about the senses is that the ear is probably the most sensitive of all. They pick up sounds that are one ten millionth of a second away. They can distinguish between 1,500 different tones. It is also the last meaning that is lost, before dying.

The ear never rests. When sleeping, the brain inhibits the ability to pick up sounds, but if there is a loud noise, we are sure to wake up. Among the sounds that most annoy and irritate human beings are the crying of a baby, the gagging of a person while vomiting, the friction of a knife against the glass and an electric drill.

7. More senses?

Typically, we speak of five senses, however, we have at least four others and they do not include a sense of humor or common sense. The sixth would be the sense of movement, which allows you to perceive acceleration and maintains balance.

There are also these other senses:

• Proprioception. This sense allows to identify the position of the different parts of the body. It also affects balance and coordination.

• Thermoception. In humans it allows us to feel heat and cold; it also helps other animals to know the direction of the wind.
• Nociception. It allows you to perceive the pain.

These are just some of the curiosities about the senses. These faculties and the organs that carry them are a marvel of evolution. True reality capture machines.