Sensational
A New Story of our Senses
Published on 5. January 2023
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-78816-886-1 (ISBN)
Description
'A future classic of popular science' Mail on Sunday
Why do women have a better sense of smell than men?
Has the iPhone changed how we touch?
Does the Danube really look blue when you're in love?
Our senses are at the heart of how we navigate the world. They help us recognise the expressions on a loved one's face, know whether fruit is ripe by its smell, or even sense a storm approaching through a sudden drop in air pressure. It's now believed that we may have as many as fifty-three senses - and we're just beginning to expand our knowledge of this incredibly extensive palette.
In Sensational, Ashley Ward embarks on an expedition through the ways we experience the world, marshalling the latest advancements in science to explore the dazzling eyesight of the mantis shrimp, the rich inner lives of krill and the baffling link between canine bowel movements and geomagnetic fields. Unlocking the incredible power of our senses may hold the key to mysteries like why we kiss, how our brain dictates our taste in music and how a dairy-rich diet strained Euro-Japanese relations.
Blending biology and cutting-edge neuroscience, Sensational is a mind-bending look at how our brains shape the way we interpret the world.
Why do women have a better sense of smell than men?
Has the iPhone changed how we touch?
Does the Danube really look blue when you're in love?
Our senses are at the heart of how we navigate the world. They help us recognise the expressions on a loved one's face, know whether fruit is ripe by its smell, or even sense a storm approaching through a sudden drop in air pressure. It's now believed that we may have as many as fifty-three senses - and we're just beginning to expand our knowledge of this incredibly extensive palette.
In Sensational, Ashley Ward embarks on an expedition through the ways we experience the world, marshalling the latest advancements in science to explore the dazzling eyesight of the mantis shrimp, the rich inner lives of krill and the baffling link between canine bowel movements and geomagnetic fields. Unlocking the incredible power of our senses may hold the key to mysteries like why we kiss, how our brain dictates our taste in music and how a dairy-rich diet strained Euro-Japanese relations.
Blending biology and cutting-edge neuroscience, Sensational is a mind-bending look at how our brains shape the way we interpret the world.
Reviews / Votes
[An] infectiously enthusiastic survey of the human senses ... underneath the entertainment this is a serious and thoughtful book -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times * Combining biological science with history, culture, sociology and personal reflections, this is a wide-ranging and highly engaging read * Observer * Ward has conjured up a thrilling - and revolting - world of sensory overload in the style of a goofy lecture. Both learned and irreverent, he can be existentially disturbing and extremely funny in the same paragraph - a talent that could make this a future classic of popular science * Mail on Sunday * A rollercoaster combination of science, cultural history, rumour and schoolboy humour * Guardian * Enlightening and digestible ... Sensational is not only a rich mine of information, it teaches tolerance and understanding ... Listening to his book is a delight * The Times * A dazzling account of how we use sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell to navigate the world * Financial Times * Ward is more than qualified as our tour guide into the dazzling world of senses - both our own and those of other animals ... an impressive journey -- BBC Wildlife Enjoyable popular science * Kirkus * [An] eye-opening pop-science treatise ... [Ward] packs in innumerable fascinating details ... the delivery benefits greatly from the author's stylish, evocative prose ... this will change how readers see the world * Publisher's Weekly * Absorbing, surprising and at times profound. After reading this, reality will never be quite the same -- Prof Dave Goulson, author * Silent Earth * It is nearly impossible to grasp what other animals smell, see, or feel. Ashley Ward's dive into the way we and other species interpret the surrounding world offers astonishing insights -- Frans de Waal, author * Different: Gender Through The Eyes of a Primatologist *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
523 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78816-886-1 (9781788168861)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
01/2024
Profile Books Ltd
€14.00
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
E-Book
01/2023
Profile Books Ltd
€11.49
Available for download
Person
A born-and-bred Yorkshireman, Ashley Ward is the author of The Social Lives of Animals and is a professor in Animal Behaviour at the University of Sydney, where he specialises in the sensory behaviour of animals. His career has taken him around the world, from studying krill in Antarctica to sampling sensory deprivation tanks in Australia. He has published over 100 scientific journal articles and a highly cited academic book, Sociality. He is also the author of the bestselling audiobook, Animal Societies. In addition to his professional accolades, he has 4:20 vision and no sense of smell or taste.