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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Take Five

We’ve focused on the five “traditional” senses in this issue, but there are five more that are often overlooked.

Balance and acceleration
Otherwise known as the vestibular sense, this allows the body to perceive movement and direction without toppling over. The vestibular sense is housed in your inner ears, which is why if you have fluid in your ears you might sometimes feel off-kilter.

Temperature
The skin’s perception of heat and cold is known as thermoception. Some animals, like venomous snakes, have particularly specialized receptors that can detect infrared radiation.

Kinesthetic sense
When the brain receives information on positions of the limbs. This is why you can close your eyes and still touch your nose with your fingertip.

Pain
The body perceives pain as a result of nerve damage or damage to the tissues.

Time
Chronoception is how the passage of time is perceived and experienced. This sense keeps your body on a clock, controlling the circadian, or daily, rhythms.

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