Human beings do not have the most sensitive or acute sensory systems in the animal kingdom on our planet. Some bats can hear frequencies that exceed 100,000 Hertz, dolphins receive auditory messages from great distances, and cats can probably localize sounds better than we do because they can rotate their ears. Rats see better at night than we can, eagles have more acute distance vision, and horses have a wider visual field. Rabbits have more taste buds than we do, and many animals have a keener sense of smell.

how would you perceive the world if your senses were more acute or sensitive than they actually are?

1)List a few things you would see, that you cannot see now if your sense of vision were "better."

2) List a few things you would hear, that you cannot hear now if you could hear "better."

3) If your chemical senses—taste and smell—were more sensitive, how might you be affected?

4) Why are our senses no more and no less acute or sensitive than they are?

5) If you were forced to lose one of your senses, which one do you think you would choose to lose?

How would you perceive the world if your senses were more acute or sensitive than they actually are?

If my senses were more acute or sensitive than they actually are, I would perceive the world more differently and much clearer than my senses and perception has experienced before. My mind would take time to adjust to it since my senses will be overwhelmed than what it is used to. It will be an otherworldly experience since having more sensitive senses is beyond what humans are capable of, and I would see the world as an undiscovered treasure where I would explore every inch to see what I have missed with my limited senses.

1. List a few things you would see, that you cannot see now if your sense of vision were "better."

• Infrared light
• Ultraviolet light
• Things in a pitch-black room
• Microscopic organisms
• Objects in clear detail that are 3 miles away from me

(NOTE: Explanation is on the explanation section below)

2. List a few things you would hear, that you cannot hear now if you could hear "better."

• Infrasonic elephant calls
• Ultrasonic waves/Ultrasound
• Low-frequency sounds below 20 Hertz
• Sounds underwater creatures make
• Magnetic waves with bare ears

(NOTE: Explanation is on the explanation section below)

3. If your chemical senses—taste and smell—were more sensitive, how might you be affected?

A more sensitive sense of taste and smell is not a good thing as it can affect a person negatively and it is a sign of other serious medical conditions. If I had a more sensitive sense of taste, I would be considered as a "supertaster" which is a term for people who develop a more sensitive sense of taste due to a unique gene. This sensitivity will make me sense flavors more stronger than the average person, especially bitterness as it is the strongest taste that becomes prominent in a supertaster. Because of this, it can impact me negatively as it will make me avoid foods that are bitter, which can lead me to picky-eating and malnutrition since most nutritious food are bitter. I may also aggressively use seasonings to cover up the unpleasant taste. On the other hand, it can also be a positive thing because I can avoid strongly-flavored junk food, alcohol, and smoking which will leave an unpleasant overwhelming sensation on my sense of taste.

On the other hand, if I had a more sensitive sense of smell, it will negatively affect me as I will be having a condition called Hyperosmia, which is basically a condition where one has a heightened sense of smell that is caused by various underlying medical conditions. If I have this, I would be too sensitive to strong odors, especially perfumes and chemicals with strong fragrances as it will cause nausea and migraines. The discomfort it will bring may also cause me to experience anxiety and depression as a result of the distress it causes. It may also cause me to neglect personal hygiene as it will make me sensitive to hygiene and cleaning products. It may also be a sign of disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and autoimmune diseases and may also be a sign of pregnancy.

4. Why are our senses no more and no less acute or sensitive than they are?

Our senses are no more and no less acute or sensitive than they are because this is only the sensitivity level we need to adapt and survive in the environment we are in. We need our senses to be as they are to survive as it gives us the information we need about what things to avoid that may pose a potential threat. We also need our senses to be as they are because the things that we are able to sense gives us sufficient information on what we need to do in our daily lives. The level of our senses is congruent to the environment we live in, and our bodies have adaptive mechanisms to adjust our senses if our environment changes. If we have heightened sensitivity, it will cause us more harm than good because if our senses will get overwhelmed, it may lead to damaging and distressing results. 

5. If you were forced to lose one of your senses, which one do you think you would choose to lose?

If I were forced to lose one of my senses, I would choose to lose my sense of sight since I without it, I can still utilize my other senses to survive and live normally, and with the technology today, there are plenty of devices that help aid people who lose their sight so that they can function like the average person with complete senses. If I lose my sense of sight, I can utilize my sense of touch in feeling objects so I can have a mental picture of how it looks like, I can also smell an object to identify it and along with the sense of hearing, I can locate how far an object or a person is. Even if I have lost my sense of sight, I can still supply my body with food as I can still taste food even if I have no idea what it looks like and I can still communicate to other people with my voice. I can also use the help of guides to aid me, especially if I live alone or when I walk down the road. All senses are as important as they work together for the whole person to function and survive, but out of all senses, sight is the easiest to compensate. 

Step-by-step explanation

1.) Things I would see if I could see better

• Infrared light 
  • With a normal eyesight, humans cannot see infrared light because it cannot be detected by our photoreceptors because it emits lesser energy than the colors our eyes are able to see. 
• Ultraviolet light
  • The human eye cannot see ultraviolet light because it possesses shorter wavelengths than the range our eyes can see. Human vision can only see light between 380-700 nanometers of wavelength and UV light is below 380 and it can also be damaging to the human eyesight. However, certain animals like mammals, reptiles, and birds are able to see it. If we have better eyesight, we can pick up a larger range of wavelength and we can basically see it.
• Things in a pitch-black room
  • While humans can see objects in a slightly dark room because of the adjustment in our pupil, we cannot see objects in rooms and surroundings that are fully dark like some animals do. Humans are not capable of night vision because we lack a tissue called "tapetum lucidum" that reflects light into the retina, if we have this, then we will have better eyesight to completely see in the dark.
• Microscopic organisms
  • Microscopic organisms are not visible to the naked human eye as they can only be seen through microscopes in magnifiers as they are too small for the eyes to pick up. If we had better eyesight, we can see these organisms without the help of apparatus.
• Objects in clear detail that are 3 miles away from me
  • The farthest the human eye can see is 3 miles away. However, with a distance this far, objects tend to be blurry. If one has a heightened sense of sight, they would be able to see objects farther than 3 miles in clear detail.

2.) Things that I would hear if I could hear better

• Infrasonic elephant calls
  • Elephants make a sound that only other elephants can hear even if they are very distant from each other. These sounds are called infrasonic sounds and cannot be heard by humans since its frequency is so low than the normal range humans can hear. If one has a heightened sense of hearing, he is able to pick this up.
• Ultrasonic waves/Ultrasound
  • The ultrasonic waves that bats transmit are not sensible by human hearing because its frequency is past what humans are able to detect. The frequency is humans can hear is 20 Hertz to 20 Kilohertz and ultrasound is above 20 kilohertz.
• Low-frequency sounds below 20 Hertz
  • There are certain sounds that humans are not aware of because it has lower frequency than what the human ear can normally detect. Low frequency sounds below 20 hertz cannot be sensed by humans as we can only hear sounds with frequencies above it.
• Sounds underwater creatures make
  • Humans cannot hear sounds created by creatures underwater while being outside of it since sound cannot travel and pass through well in water particles that are dense compared to how it passes through air. Most underwater sounds are only hearable by other sea creatures or by machines that can pick it up.
• Magnetic waves with bare ears
  • Magnetic waves produced sounds as they are picked up by radio and television signals and we can hear them through these machines, however, we cannot hear them with our ears alone since its pitch frequency is too high for our ears to handle. However, if we have a more sensitive hearing, we are able to pic it up as it travels on air.

3.)

• Having a more sensitive sense of taste and smell is NOT A GOOD THING since it can affect a person negatively as it is often accompanied by health complications.
• People who posses a more sensitive sense of taste is called a Supertaster
  • Supertasters can taste flavors more strongly than average, however, they sense bitterness the most, which is the most unpleasant taste.
  • Because of this, they tend to be picky eaters and avoid bitter food, even the ones that are healthy, and this can lead to malnutrition
  • However, this has a positive effect since Supertasters avoid alcohol and smoking, because they are bitter.
• People who posses a more sensitive sense of smell suffer a condition called Hyperosmia.
  • This can make a person avoid fragrant smells from chemical products such as perfumes, soaps, and cleaners.
  • These strong smells can make a person feel distressed and can cause nausea and migraine.
  • This can also be a sign of disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's) and a sign of pregnancy.

4.) 

• Our senses has enough sensitivity needed for survival in the environment we live in as humans and each sense organ work harmoniously with each other.
• We are also genetically designed to adapt to new environments in which our senses can naturally adapt.
• Heightened sensitivity of senses or a lack thereof can cause distress and overwhelm us.

5.)

• All senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell are equally important for survival and normal functioning. However, if I can choose one sense to lose, it will be the sense of sight:
• Reasons:
  • The loss of sight only heightens the sense of smell and hearing which can compensate for the loss and it will still help me to live normally.
  • If I lose my sight, I can still have access to modern technology that can aid me in sensing my surroundings even if I cannot see them.
  • I can also use human guides to aid me.
  • My senses can make up for my lack of sight:
    • Sense of touch = to feel objects blocking my way to avoid them and sense the treasure of objects to see if they are dangerous or not
    • Smell and hearing = these can help me in identifying the distance of an object or a person. This can also help me recognize them by the sound they make, their voice, or their scent. I am also able to listen to audio readings of things I can read myself
    • Taste = My body will still be sustained as I am able to eat since my taste and appetite are intact.