Magnetoreception or a Sense without a Receptor: Physics of the Senses 101

Five fundamental senses are available to humans that they can use to navigate their environment: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The brain receives information from the organs connected to each of the latter and, in a challenging yet interesting process, converts it into intelligible information. Bright colours, a resounding thud, sharp pain, a comforting taste on the tongue, or a sweet aroma that tickles the nostrils are all combined into one large image to help us recognise our environment. While these systems in humans are incredibly advanced, certain animals have super senses. Bats use sound waves to hunt, while elephants have the strongest noses in the animal kingdom and cats are widely recognised for their nocturnal vision. Some even believe that birds, along with some mammals, reptiles, and fish, possess magnetoreception, the capacity to perceive the Earth's magnetic field.

The series "Physics of the Senses101" explores the physical mechanisms underlying each sense, including the purported sixth sense, and explains how they contribute to the "super-capacities" that some species exhibit.

1. Visual perception or sight in Physics of the Senses 101

2. Physics of the Senses 101: Hearing or Auditory Perception

Haptic Perception or Touch in Physics of the Senses 101

4. Olfaction or Smell: A Physics of the Senses 101 Discussion

5. Gustatory Perception or Taste: A Physics of the Senses 101 Discussion

Written by: Name Style