Making Sense

September 28, 2012

We are always hearing about other creatures on the planet that can do things better than a human. Dogs can smell so much better, owls can hear so much better, and eagles can see so much better. However, have you ever paused to consider why other animals doing things better than a human is so remarkable? It’s because humans themselves have an amazing capacity for things!

For instance, if you were just a person with average eyesight and you stood on a flat beach with a friend in the dark, your eyes would be able to pick up on your friend lighting a match a mile away. Sure, there are other creatures that hear better and in other ranges than humans. But if human ears were much more sensitive, then you would be constantly hearing the air molecules moving around you. Your sense of smell is in some ways the most remarkable. Smell is the only sense not processed through the thalamus, otherwise known as the sensory switchboard of the brain. Coincidentally, they are instead processed by the part of the brain involved in memory storage. Due to this fact, smells are very powerful in causing memory recall.

Before you envy what all other creatures can do, first consider the amazing things that your own senses are capable of!

Heather G.
Oak Grove Branch