Sense organs

Introduction 

Imagine a day without your sensory powers? It would be nearly impossible to perceive the world around us. Since your inception, the sense organs, including eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin, have held your hands strongly at various stages of life. It can be said that these are the only ways to have an understanding of the environment around you. Therefore, it is essential that you gain a proper understanding of your sense organs. 

What are Sense Organs? 

Sense organs can be defined as specialized organs gifted to most individuals by God to perceive the world around them. These organs are, in many ways, the driving forces of our lives as it helps to view our surroundings, make an understanding of everything, and develops a sense of what is right and wrong. In all, it facilitates life. Through various organs, these sense organs provide data for interpretation. Our associations are governed by these senses and our interaction with the environment. In all, there are five sense organs that a human body features. These include- 

• Eyes
• Ears
• Nose
• Tongue
• Skin

All the senses, as mentioned earlier, organs hold receptors that relay information with the nervous system in the body. The human nervous system is the system that conducts development and improvements from the sensory receptors. The receptor comes from the brain and spinal cord and leads your impulses back to different parts of the body.

Five Sense Organs 

As mentioned earlier, we have five sense organs, including the eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and skin, responsible for receiving and relaying sensory information to the brain. This sense helps an individual understand crucial information necessary for perception. Below, we have discussed the different sense organs and their functioning in detail. Let’s have a look- 

Eyes – Sight or Ophthalmoception

The human body has five major sensory organs. Out of all, the first one is the eyes that are extremely sensitive to light images. Depending on the melanin levels in the body, the color of the eye can differentiate. The major functioning of the eye is to sense sight by focusing and detecting light images. The eye consists of several sub-major parts. The first one is the iris, the colored part of the eye responsible for controlling the diameter and the size of the pupil. 

The vitreous body lies behind the eye lenses that contain the gelatinous material referred to as the vitreous humor. This substance is responsible for providing a definite shape to the eyes. Another important part of the eye is the retina that contains photoreceptors responsible for detecting light. The two cells that perform distinct functions are Cones and Rod. The rod cells are responsible for the vision under low light whereas the cone cells are responsible for the vision under higher light levels.

Ears – Hearing or Audioception

Ears are second in our list of sense organs. These can be defined as the auditory sense organ that helps us listen and understand several sounds. Our auditory system is responsible for detecting vibrations revolving in the air that helps us perceive sounds. This phenomenon is termed audio caption or healing. 

The human ear is divided into three different sections, including the outer, inner, and middle ear. The outer ear is responsible for transferring the vibrations towards the ear canal, after which these vibrations turn into meaningful sound with the help of the brain. Apart from hearing, this sensory organ also helps maintain a balance of our body. 

Tongue – Taste or Gustaoception

Imagine a world where you can eat but cannot taste anything? The tongue is another important sensory organ primarily responsible for helping us in perceiving flavors and taste in whatever we eat or drink. The papillae on the tongue contain the taste buds that help in differentiating several tastes. The taste and the smell senses tend to work together. If one loses their ability to smell, they tend to lose their ability to taste as well. In scientific terms, the sense of taste is called gustaoception. 

Nose – Smell or Olfalcoception

The nose is another sensory organ that is also the olfactory organ. The nose helps us experience different smells. Note, the smell and the taste sense are interrelated. If there are no smelling sensations, there will be no taste sense as well. The nasal cavity is topped by the olfactory cells. On one side, the olfactory cells consist of cilia, whereas on the other side, there are nerve fibers. 

Every time we breathe, the air makes its way into the nasal cavity. During cold, a larger amount of mucus is produced, due to which the pathways get blocked, which disturbs the natural sense of smell. As a result, the food we eat and drink does not smell as usual. 

Skin – Touch or Tactioception

• Epidermis, the top layer of skin
• Dermis, the middle layer of skin
• Hypodermis, the bottom or fatty layer of skin

The last yet most important sensory organ in the human body is the skin. The skin is related to the sense of touch, also known as tactioception. The skin has several general receptors that can easily detect pressure, pain, and temperature. As a result, if you touch anything, the brain generates the signals, you tend to feel the touch. 

Other Sense Organs 

Apart from the five major sense organs, there are two other organs that help you stay connected to the world. These include- 

• The vestibular system’s major function is to maintain the appropriate body posture and stabilize the head during movements. 
• The proprioception System can be defined as the conscious or unconscious awareness of the joint positioning in the body. 

Conclusion 

Till now, you must have got a proper understanding of all five sense organs, sense organs definition, their classification, and other related topics. Having a thorough understanding of these organs helps you understand your body closely and tackle questions in every test effectively.