Debunking popular myths

Science exposed: The 10 senses you didn't know you had

Image: Merlin Lightpainting

Contrary to popular belief, our body is capable of perceiving a lot more than what sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch have to offer. Scientists studying perception have discovered at least 30 senses in addition to the five described by Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago. These complementary senses are called interoceptors, since they allow us to recognize and feel our inner sensations. Join us to learn about 10 senses you didn't know you had!

Image: Ahmad Odeh

Kinaesthesia is a sense that allows us to perceive the position, movement, and state of our body, internal and external. In our daily activities, we hardly notice it, but it’s there, working for us all the time.

This process is, in turn, subdivided into two senses: proprioception —the perception of our body in the space around us— and interoception —the perception of our internal organs. But we will look into these two in more detail below.

Image: Luiz Rogério Nunes

Proprioception is the ability to perceive the position and movement of our limbs and torso, which allows us to control our body during daily activities. It is, in turn, the innate ability to discern the position and movement of body parts independently of visual information.

This faculty involves an intricate interplay between muscle memory, spatial awareness, and feedback from muscles and joints. It is fundamental to perform complex movements with precision. Thanks to proprioception, you can tell where your different body parts are located, even if your eyes are closed or you are not looking at your body.

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Interoception is the ability to sense our organism, providing information about the functioning or dysfunction of the internal organs. Although often underestimated, interoception is vital for survival: it helps us to maintain body balance and allows us to perceive when we are injured, when something is wrong with our body, when we need more oxygen, or to eat or drink water.

Interoceptive receptors are distributed throughout the body, usually in all the major organs and blood vessels. However, not all people's interoceptive receptors function correctly, which can cause different problems. These alterations can be due to excess or deficit; there may be a hypersensitivity that causes the interoceptive receptors to be activated with little stimulation, or they may not be triggered at all.

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This one's tricky. It is hard to define because it is a more abstract sense. In appearance, it is similar to interoception and proprioception, but it is a bit more complex. Cenesthesia is described as the awareness of being alive, the sensation of well-being or feeling sick. It is the name given to the singular set of sensations that an individual possesses of his or her own body.

In other words, everyone feels different: this unique and intangible experience of the inner self is cenesthesia.

Image: Hasan Almasi

Nociception is a neural process by which the body handles potentially harmful stimuli against body tissues. The term was coined by the British neurophysiologist Charles Scott Sherrington to describe the physiological process of pain. It derives from the Latin nocere, meaning "to damage".

This mechanism is crucial to protect the organism, as it allows us to identify and react to external injuries or aggressions. However, there are several disorders that can alter the way some people perceive pain.

Image: Liana S

Thermoception is the ability to perceive temperature and is a critical sensory function. It relies on thermal receptors in the skin, which send signals to the brain through specific nerve fibers. These receptors respond to different temperature ranges, allowing us to distinguish between cold, hot, and neutral temperatures.

Thermoception also allows us to adapt to different temperatures. But this ability varies from person to person. People sense temperature changes differently due to factors such as age, lifestyle habits, and health problems. In fact, some people with certain medical conditions like diabetes or Parkinson's, for example, may have difficulty sensing and reacting to temperature changes.

Image: Jael Rodriguez

As its name suggests, equilibrioception is the sense of balance and is one of the most important physiological senses. Basically, it is the sense that gives us spatial awareness and allows us to walk without falling. It involves the visual system and the vestibular system through the inner ear.

In humans, balance develops during the first years of life and begins to decline in old age. Some animals have this sense more developed than humans; for example, cats can walk and keep their balance on very narrow surfaces using their inner ears and tails without falling.

Image: Andy Cordery

Our perception of time is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, deeply rooted in the brain’s neurological processes. This intricate sense, called chronoception, is not just a passive recording of events, but an active construction of temporal experiences.

There are no "time receptors" in the body, so it’s not a traditional sense. Chronoception is a sophisticated cognitive and emotional process that not only has a neurological basis but also a psychological dimension influenced by age, culture, biological rhythms, and temporal illusions.

Image: Geoffroy Hauwen

Simply put, baresthesia is the sense responsible for detecting pressure changes in the body. This function is carried out by specialized receptors located primarily in the skin, muscles, joints, and other tissues.

Baresthesia is essential for the regulation of balance, posture, and proper interaction with the environment. Alterations related to this sense are associated with several medical conditions, including spinal cord injuries, strokes, and degenerative disorders, among others.

Image: leyre del rio

Not all human beings have developed this sense. It refers to the perception of smells when listening to music, or even smelling and tasting colors. In other words, it is the joint perception or interference of several types of feelings from different senses in the same perceptive act.

A synaesthete can, for example, hear colors, see sounds, or perceive taste when touching an object with a certain texture.

TREATS FROM MOTHER NATURE

Ever Heard About Blood Falls? Read About 10 Unusual Natural Phenomena!

Image: Kalen Emsley

Mother nature is a constant and endless surprise. Around the world, one can find the most extraordinary spots or the most unusual natural wonders. If you had the chance to travel, you probably came across some breathtaking views, amazing waterfalls, pristine waters, or the snowiest mountains. Beautiful as these places might be, some spots are a whole new level of gorgeous.

From blood waterfalls (You read that right!) to pink waters, we’ve gathered ten places that will make you gasp in awe!

Image: Matt Palmer

Antarctica is both the biggest desert in the world and one of the most mysterious places. Considering the harsh weather and the slippery ice covering the area, it is only logical that a small part of it has been investigated. Imagine how surprising it must have been for explorers who, in 1911, saw a stream of blood coming down a glacier into a river.

That’s when they discovered the Blood Falls and the mystery behind its origin was only solved in 2017: This bloodstream is only oxidized iron in brine saltwater.Creepy, yet fascinating, isn’t it?

Image: Tom Keldenich

Extreme weather conditions usually lead to extreme yet beautiful views and Canada is not the exception here. During the winter, in Abrahan Lake in Alberta, a curious thing happens: Underwater, methane gas bubbles get trapped forming frozen bubbles.

The view is otherworldly yet highly dangerous and another consequence of the greenhouse effect. Because of the risk of inflammation, only a match near the bubbles could cause a massive explosion.

Other than that, one can only enjoy the view and wait for the onset of spring to see the bubbles burst naturally.

Image: Urlaubstracker

If you enjoy sitting by the water with a good book by your side and fresh juice poured into your cup, this place might make it to your bucket list. But you won’t find blue water here. No, blue water is just too normal.

In Lake Hiller, Australia, the water is pink, simple as that! Due to the presence of some unique microalgae, which produce a pink pigment, the water in this lake is this pretty color.

Contrary to what one may think, you can swim and everything in this lake. Although we don’t recommend you drink it since it is quite salty!

Image: Alexey Marchenko

We all enjoy pristine waters, right? There is a certain magic to dipping your toes in the water and seeing them perfectly. But the waters of Sasaran Beach take this experience to the next level.

Specifically during the new moon and the full moon periods, the water in the beach turns into a mirror, and the sky and water become one.

This phenomenon takes place because, during that time, the tides are at their lowest and the sand is as smooth as it can be. It is known as "Mirror of the Sky" and it is a true wonder.

Image: Jasper van der Meij

Don’t worry, we won’t be painting anything black here. True enough, Rolling Stones is an iconic band, but what you probably didn’t know is that it is a natural phenomenon in the U.S. to visit too.

Both visible in the Death Valley National Park and at Little Bonnie Claire Playa, this geological phenomenon involves rocks rolling down a valley as they leave distinct trails. They can be quite heavy and their movement is the result of ice breaking in winter pods triggered by sunny days. When the ice melts, the rocks are driven by the wind and roll down.

Image: Keith Hardy

Deserts are intimidating and intriguing, but they can also raise feelings of calmness and peace. Now, the Namib Desert is different than the rest. How? Well, all scattered around the desert**, you can find** circular patches called fairy circles.

This phenomenon is the result of two things: a lack of water and vegetation in the desert and the action of termites. The few plants that try to make it fight for water and eventually disappear leaving this eerie trail behind. That is when the termites come into play, as they take over the patches. If you think this is unique, wait and see what’s ahead in this list!

Image: Adithya Holehonnur

You probably heard and even saw the aurora borealis in the north, right? Well, these are not auroras, but the process by which this phenomenon takes place is similar and the result is even creepier.

Similar to those spaceship abductions sci-fi movies have shown us, light pillars are beams of light that extend from the sky to the ground in places where temperatures drop way below zero degrees.

This phenomenon is actually an illusion, the result of cold air turning the moisture in the air into crystals. Magic does happen, doesn’t it?

Image: Roberto Carlos Román Don

If this wasn’t real and easy to witness, no one would ever believe it. As it turns out, back in the 1900s the Mexican military used the Marieta Islands for target practice. Little did they know blasting bombs over and over again in the area would create Hidden Beach.

Even if it is not so hidden nowadays, the beach is only a few miles away from the west coast of Mexico and it is accessible by boat. It is almost invisible to the unaware eye, but, from the air, one can see a crater with bright blue waters within. A perfect spot for a romantic escapade, don’t you think?

Image: Ekaterina Sazonova

This spot in Russia is a true marvel of nature. Lake Baikal holds the collective titles of the oldest, deepest, clearest, and largest freshwater lake in the world.

Now, aside from its titles, what makes it so unique? During the harsh winters, when the temperatures plummet well below freezing, the pristine waters of the lake become stunning ice formations. The turquoise color in them sparkles under the sunlight and creates the illusion of diamonds or gems.

Image: NOAA

It’s very common to be afraid of thunderstorms. It is also pretty common to be scared of volcanos. Now, put those things together, and "fear" takes on a new meaning.

Volcanic thunderstorms, or dirty thunderstorms, take place in the clouds formed by volcanic and plinian eruptions. By this crazy occurrence, volcanos can actually produce lightning and they usually appear between 5 and 10 seconds after the explosion.

We don’t recommend being near an erupting volcano, but to witness the phenom from afar can be quite striking! No pun intended there!