It's widely accepted that we have 5 senses: vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch but according to Ashley Ward, we might have as many as 53 senses. Ashley Ward is a Biologist in Sydney specialising in the field of animal behaviour and in Sensational - A New Story of Our Senses he delves into disciplines as diverse as psychology, ecology, medicine, economics and engineering to expound on the senses.
Listening to the audiobook narrated by David Morley Hale, the author addresses each of the primary 5 senses in their own sections. He also points out many other senses we already know about but may not have considered, like the sense of time, the sense of direction and the sense of balance or proprioception.
One of the most interesting facts I learned was that plants register vibrations and also make sounds. You might remember the scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Professor Sprout delivers a lesson on how to safely repot a mandrake, noting that the screams of the plant's roots can be fatal to those who hear them. Well, according to the author:
"It'd be a long stretch to say that plants scream, but when they're stressed or damaged, plants emit high ultra sonic sounds and they do this at a volume that's roughly the equivalent of our conversation, about 65 decibels." Chapter 6Fascinating! But also isn't that just a tad creepy? Next time I'm trimming the dead ends from the leaves of my peace lily I'll be worried it's emitting sounds of distress. I wonder if they can also produce sounds of relief when watered, or perhaps when their dead ends are trimmed. Let's go with that.
I didn't know humans can distinguish over a trillion different smells and that women have a better sense of smell than men. Sensational by Ashley Ward is full of information like this and is recommended for readers with a serious interest in science, biology and anatomy.
