What Are Senses?

Humans use their senses to find their way around the globe. What are the senses, and how can we make sense of the world around us with them? This blog will define the senses and go into how humans interpret the senses.

The History of Five Senses

One of the first scientists to divide human senses into five categories of perception based on the number of sensory organs was Aristotle. However, the vestibular system, a sixth sensory organ in the inner ear that helps people maintain balance, was discovered by scientists in the early 1800s. It turns out that several of our sensory organs have various receptors for the various senses used.

Five Senses Learning Toy Unboxing

To make the understanding of five human senses and sense organs, we have created a SMART toy. 

Watch the video to see what the kit contains:

What are the Five Senses?

Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch are the five senses that make up the human body. The five senses are a powerful set of body parts which help us to observe and understand the world. Babies learn about the things and people around them, strictly through their senses. A little child, who can’t talk, can still communicate using her/his senses. We all use our five senses to explore the world around us. 

We are able to interact with others, connect with the environment and perform everyday activities and chores with the help of our five senses. In the absence of any sense organ, it is very difficult to perform certain activities. 

Our senses detect information from our surroundings and this information is forwarded to the brain where it gets processed. Sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch are the five senses and each sense uses a specific body part to gather information, as explained below:

• Sight: We are able to see this beautiful world through our eyes.  The eyes translate light and color, detected by the cells present in the retina, into image for the brain for processing. Did you know new-born babies see everything upside down until their brains learn to process everything right side up?

• Hearing: The chirping of birds, the tintinnabulation of bells, the laughter and a lot of sounds around are heard by ears. The ears use bones and fluid for transforming sound waves into sound signals. 

• Smell: We are able to smell the flowers, aroma of different types of foods and also yucky odor with the help of our nose. The sense of smell or olfaction is detected by special cells present in the nose, as we sniff or inhale. Did you realize that a good smell makes you feel happy? Some fragrances also bring back memories!

• Taste: Our taste buds present on the tongue are papillae, which are the tiny bumps which help us to know the different tastes- sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. Interestingly, by the time a person reaches the age of 20, half of the taste receptors are gone!

• Touch: The largest organ is the skin, which has got specialized receptor cells. These cells detect touch, vibration and pressure.

Our senses allow us to explore and learn, to protect ourselves and to enjoy the world. It’s difficult to imagine working without any of the senses and this fact helps us to appreciate what each sense provides. 

The Five Sense Organs

Eye

Through the inner workings of the eyeball, the eyes serve as the organ that senses sight.

Ears

Our bodies' auditory sensory organs are the ears. They aid in our ability to hear. We perceive sounds because our auditory system picks up on air vibrations.

Tongue

The tongue aids in the perception of different tastes. On the tongue, the taste buds are situated between the papillae and aid in the perception of various flavors.

Nose

The olfactory organ is the nose. We can detect various smells through our nose. Our perception of taste benefits from this sense organ as well.

Skin

The biggest organ in our body is the skin. The skin has universal receptors that can sense pressure, temperature, pain, and touch.

FAQ'S on Sense Organs

1) What are the five sense organs?

- Eye, Nose, Ear, Skin, Tongue are the five sense organs

2) Why is the nose called a sense organ?

-  Because it helps us smell

3) Which is the smallest sense organ?

- Pineal gland

4) Which is the largest sense organ?

- Skin