“Sense”- itive Issues

1. “Sense”-itive Issues Exploring the Relationships Among the Five Senses

2. Questions to Consider • 1. If you had to give up one of your senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch), which would you choose & why? • 2. Describe a situation in which one of your remaining senses would help you compensate for the loss of the 5th sense. • 3. Is one sense more valuable than any other? • 4. How easily can a person adapt to the loss of a particular sense?

3. Questions continued • 5. What technologies have been developed to help people who have lost some or all of a particular sense? • 6. How is information from one sense amplified by another sense (e.g. would you be able to smell as well if you could not see what you were smelling?) • 7. Which do you think is worse: not being born with a particular sense at all, or losing that particular sense later in life? Why? • 8. If you were a superhero, what would your special ability be? Why?

4. Hearing • The loss of hearing is called audition. Sound is detected through vibrations in the ear. • Responses to hearing loss include: • Hearing aids - http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52173658#52173658 • Cochlear implants - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzTt1VnHRM • Ability to communicate with Sign language & /or Lip-reading • 9. For fun… everyone be quiet & close your eyes. Write down all sounds you hear

5. Sight • Sight (or vision) allows people to see. Color blindness in a form of vision impairment • Responses to blindness • Glasses/contacts • Brail (ability to read) • Laser eye surgery • Bionic eye • 2013 a neural implant gave rats the ability to see infrared light • For fun… http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chvision.html

6. Smell • The loss of smell (olfaction) is anosmia • As a result, people may find food less appetizing, & may have problems detecting gas leaks or spoiled food • Your attraction to people is associated with your pheromone smell • Loss of smell can cause depression because you often associate your memories with smells • The olfactory receptor neurons differ because they regularly die & regenerate on a regular basis

7. Smell continued • Smells are generally strong, pleasant or neutral • http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-losing-your-sense-of-smell-stinks/ • 10. For fun… what do you smell?

8. Touch • The ability to sense touch is somatosensory. • You can perceive touch through skin, tongue, throat • There are changes in pressure (firm, brushing, sustained) touch • The loss of touch is called tactile anesthesia • Responses to loss of touch • Bionic arm/legs • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGi7dnapm08 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ue0Rb02_SU • 11. For fun… describe the texture of what you feel

9. Taste • The ability to taste is gustation • There are 5 different tastes: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, unami (pleasant/savory) • Exposure to different foods at an early age can increase your food preferences • Taste buds can change over time • Some people are extremely sensitive to certain tastes (cilantro, onion, etc) • http://videos.howstuffworks.com/tlc/29844-understanding-taste-buds-video.htm • 12. For fun… what do you taste? How would you describe these foods?

10. Helen Keller • Born with all of her senses, at age 2 after an illness, she became blind, deaf & mute • Her story is one of overcoming obstacles as she learned to communicate, went to college, & became a motivation to many