Our Five Senses

Starting at birth, we discover the world through our senses. As infants we begin to learn to identify our mother through her smell and the sound of her voice. During our growth, our five senses continue to play a major role in our development. What we hear, smell, see, touch, and taste help us form schemas and assimilate new information. What organs are responsible for this? How do they work? Our eyes are made up of eleven essential parts which work to together and allow us to see the world. Behind the iris and pupil of the eye, is a transparent lens which works to focus light into the retina and stimulate the two different light sensitive cells that cover it. The first cell, called the cone cells, help us see color and reside in the part of the retina called the fovea. The second set of cells is responsible for our peripheral and night vision, known as rod cells. Rod cells are located around the fovea and while they do not sense color, are much more sensitive to light. The rod cells produce a substance that increases the light sensitivity of the eye which in turn allows us to see in dim light. When the rod and cone cells are stimulated, that information is passed along the optic nerve, to the back of the brain, and a three dimensional image is formed. Interestingly, when the brain receives the images, they are upside down due to the focusing action of the lenses. Our ears are complex organs that are responsible for so much more than allowing us to listen to music. …show more content…
The cup like shape of our ears is meant to direct sound waves down our auditory canal to the tympanic membrane. From there, the membrane sends the vibrations caused by the sound waves to the inner ear, utilizing three tiny bones; malleus, incus, and stapes. The inner ear, also known as the cochlea, is a spiral shaped chamber covered in nerve fibers. The vibrations are transmitted via the auditory nerve to the brain. By combining the impulses sent though both ears the brain is able to determine from which direction a sound came from and how far away (roughly) the sound is. Another important part of the inner ear is the vestibular system. This system is formed by three semicircular canals and is responsible for maintaining balance and spatial orientation. While hearing and sight may be the most evolved of our senses, our sense of taste is, to many people, one of the most enjoyable of our senses. …show more content…
Between our tongues, roof of our mouth, and the area near our pharynx, humans have roughly ten thousand receptor cells to taste the world with. Every taste bud has a nerve attached to it that sends the sensations back to the brain. Most of the taste buds are on the tongue and can differentiate between four basic taste; sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Scientists have been able to create a generalized taste bud map of the tongue. At the tip of the tongue is where the taste buds are most sensitive to sweet taste. The sides and top help to sort salty and sour flavors and the back is where the bitter flavors are strongly detected. Noses may come in all shapes and sized, their structure remains the same. Our nasal passages