Sense Organs
May 24, 2023, 16:45 IST
Sense Organs are specialized organs that help us to perceive the world around us. Sense organs are an integral part of our lives and only thus allow us to perceive the surroundings.
The sense organs provide the required data for interpretation through various organs and a network of nerves responding to a particular physical phenomenon. These senses guide our connection and our interaction with the environment.
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We have Five Sense Organs name
- Eyes
- Ears
- Nose
- Tongue
- Skin
These five sense organs contain receptors that contain information through sensory neurons to appropriate locations in the nervous system. Receptors can be divided into two parts, i.e., general and special receptors. The former is present throughout the body, while the latter includes chemoreceptors, photoreceptors, and mechanoreceptors.
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Five Sense Organs
As stated earlier, we have five sense organs that can receive and transmit sensory information to the brain. These senses provide the organism with information crucial for perception. The various sense organs and the senses they provide are listed below:
These are the visual sense organs in our body. These images are sensitive to light. Eye color depends on the melanin present in our bodies. It usually helps in the sense of sight by focusing and detecting light images.
The eye's iris is the colored part that controls the pupil's diameter and size, which directly affects the amount of light entering the eye. Behind the lens of the eye lies the vitreous. It is usually filled with a gelatinous material called vitreous. The Vitreous gives shape to the eyeball and transmits light to the back of the eyeball, where the retina is located.
This retina contains photoreceptors that detect light. Two types of cells perform functions different from each other. These are the Rod and the Cones.
Rods: These sensors work in low light and are located at the edges of the retina. They also help with peripheral vision.
Cones: These retinal cells work best in bright light, detecting fine details and colors. There are three types of cones to detect the three primary colors of light, namely: blue, red, and green. Color blindness usually occurs when one of these cones is absent.
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Ears are the auditory sensory organs of our body. They help us perceive sounds. Our hearing system detects vibrations in the air, and this is how we hear sounds. This is known as an auditory or audio caption.
The ears are divided into three parts, the outer ear, the inner ear, and the middle ear. All sounds are essentially vibrations, so the outer ear transmits these vibrations to the ear canal, where these vibrations are transformed into meaningful sound by the brain. Apart from hearing, this sense is also important for our body balance or equilibrium.
The tongue helps in the perception of different flavors and tastes. Taste buds are present within the papillae on the tongue - they help perceive different tastes.
Smell and taste tend to work together. If one couldn't smell something, they couldn't even taste it. Taste is also known as gustaoception.
The taste buds on the tongue contain chemoreceptors that similarly work to the chemoreceptors in the nasal cavity.
However, the chemoreceptors in the nose would see any smell. At the same time, there are four different types of taste buds, each of which can detect various tastes such as sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness.
The skin is the largest organ of our body. It is related to the sense of touch. Touch is also referred to as tactioception.
The skin contains general receptors that detect touch, pain, pressure, and temperature. They are present throughout the skin. Skin receptors generate an impulse, which is transmitted to the spinal cord and then to the brain when activated.
The nose is the olfactory organ. Our olfactory system helps us perceive different smells. This organ sense also helps our sense of taste. The sense of smell is called olfactory.
Olfactory cells tend to line the upper part of the nasal cavity. At one end, the olfactory cells have cilia that protrude into the nasal cavity, and at the other end of the cell are usually olfactory nerve fibers.
When a person inhales, air enters the nasal cavity. Olfactory cells are chemoreceptors, meaning that olfactory cells have protein receptors that can detect subtle differences in chemicals. These chemicals bind to the cilia that conduct the nerve impulse transmitted to the brain. The brain then converts these impulses into a meaningful scent. When you have a cold, the body produces mucus that blocks the sense of smell; this is why the food we eat tastes bland.
Different Sense Organs
- Proprioception system
- Vestibular system
Proprioception system
The proprioception system is conscious or unconscious awareness of joint position. This system helps the body identify the muscles, joints, and limbs located in 3D space and the direction in which they move relative to the body.
Walking or kicking without looking at your feet, balancing on one leg, touching your nose with your eyes closed, and being able to sense the surface you are standing on are a few examples of the proprioception system.
Vestibular system
The vestibular system functions as the body's sensory system and is responsible for transmitting information to our brain about movements, head position, and spatial orientation. This system is also involved in motor functions and helps in:
- Maintain our posture.
- Keeping our bodies in balance.
- Stabilize our head and body during movement.
- Identification of orientation and posture in relation to the environment.
- Thus, the vestibular system is essential for normal movement and balance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Which sense organ is present all over our body?
Ans. The five sense organs of the human body are the eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin.
Q2. How are sense organs helpful to us?
Ans. Sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin) provide senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, respectively, to aid the survival, development, learning, and adaptation of humans and other animals (including fish).
Q3. What are senses?
Ans. Sight, Taste, Sound, Smell, and Touch: How the Human Body Receives Sensory Information.
Q4. How many Sense Organs are there?
Ans. There are five sense organs – nose, eyes, ears, tongue, and skin.
Q5. What is the most sense organ?
Ans. The organ for the sense of touch is skin. It is the largest organ as it is covered throughout the body. Different receptors are used for various situations like pressure, pain, temperature, etc.
