A Tour of the Senses – How Your Brain Interprets the World - Hardcover

Henshaw, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1421404362 ISBN 13: 9781421404363

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012

Synopsis

2012 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Magazine

Ever wonder why some people have difficulty recognizing faces or why food found delicious in one culture is reviled in another? John M. Henshaw ponders these and other surprising facts in this fascinating and fast-paced tour of the senses.

From when stimuli first excite our senses to the near-miraculous sense organs themselves to the mystery of how our brain interprets senses, Henshaw explains the complex phenomena of how we see, feel, taste, touch, and smell. He takes us through the rich history of sensory perception, dating back to Aristotle’s classification of the five main senses, and helps us understand the science and technology behind sensory research today.

A Tour of the Senses travels beyond our human senses. Henshaw describes artificial sensing technologies and instruments, unusual sensory abilities of the animal kingdom, and techniques for improving, rehabilitating, and even replacing sense organs.

This entertaining introduction to sensory science is a clever mix of research findings and real-world stories that helps us understand the complex processes that turn sensory stimuli into sophisticated brain responses.

About this title

Review:

"A fine guide recommended for health and science general-interest collections."

(Midwest Book Review)

"When Henshaw told a casual acquaintance that he was writing a book about the senses, the response was 'The five senses?' He was quick to reply that there are more than five, and one goal of this book is to convince the reader that that is the case... One of the pluses of this book is its conversational tone and the use of anecdotes and examples."

(Choice)

"A blend of research findings and real-world anecdotes about people's sensory experiences enlivens this historical view of the science behind perception."

(Science News)

"This is an interesting book–an ideal gift for young biologists."

(Alan Cadogan The Biologist)

"A Tour of the Senses is a fun book, which may be of interest to anyone who's ever wondered how the eye or ear works."

(Matthew R. Longo American Journal of Human Biology)

About the Author:

John M. Henshaw is the Harry H. Rogers Professor of Mechanical Engineering and chair of the Department of Engineering at the University of Tulsa. He is the author of Does Measurement Measure Up? How Numbers Reveal and Conceal the Truth, also published by Johns Hopkins.

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1421404362
• ISBN 13: 9781421404363
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288