Senses and Perception in Nature (MS)

A sense is a physiological capacity organism’s use to acquire data for perception. The senses and their
operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields. The stimuli perceived by senses are controlled by a specific sensory nervous system, and a sense organ, or sensor, dedicated to each sense. Humans have a multitude of sensors but Sight (vision), Hearing (audition), Taste (gustation), Smell (olfaction), and Touch (somatosensation), are the five traditionally recognized senses. The ability to detect other stimuli beyond those governed by these broadly recognized senses also exist. These include: Temperature (thermoception), Kinesthetic sense (proprioception), Pain (nociception), Balance
(equilibrioception), Vibration (mechanoreception), and various internal stimuli (e.g. the different
chemoreceptors for detecting salt and carbon dioxide concentrations in the blood, or sense of hunger and
sense of thirst).

Non-human animals may possess senses that are absent in humans and some of these are more advanced.
Plants also have a whole set of senses that closely mirror what animals have. These senses help them interact with the environment around them. Some senses also originate from a complex interaction of two or more sensors to provide a unique perception to our brains. From a sociological angle, the literal use of concepts associated with perception have had a great impact on our ability to communicate, understand, and empathize with other people. In other words, perception leads to understanding, which should eventually create empathy. This flow in the process of information is central to how we interact with our environment, and other people around us.