If all life originated from a single celled organism as is largely held, this cell was almost certainly devoid of 5 senses humans and other sophisticated organisms employ in daily interaction with the world. They could not hear, see, smell, touch or taste. Yet we can, and we acquired such abilities through evolution. So the question: If it is possible to deduce the existence of something we cannot sense directly (iow, infer its existence through observation, experimentation), what is the most likely sense humans have yet to obtain? Are there whole other levels of existence we move unawares in? What does the universe seem to a cell who cannot experience it like we can? Is it analogous to a theoretical super-being who has x senses more than we do?
Sensationalization
- Thread starter Sin
- Start date
Well, I don’t think it’s as simple as that. Depending on your definitions, single-celled organisms most certainly can “hear, see, smell, touch and taste”.
Whilst our senses may seem quite sophisticated, in essence they boil down to some fairly universal cellular abilities. All single-celled organisms can perform a subset of these abilities; I imagine some can do them all.
For instance, smell and taste is detection of specific molecules in the environment via cell surface receptors. All single-celled organisms can do that.
Sight is based on the detection of specific areas of the electromagnetic spectrum by photosensitive pigments. I believe some single-celled organisms have them of one type or another. Of course, we have a nervous system and brain that can interpret these stimuli in a cognitive analysis whereas in single-celled organisms it merely evokes an automatic pre-programmed response. But the point is that the basic underlying precursor mechanisms are there for a visual system like ours.
Touch and hearing is detection of pressure and vibration by mechanoreceptors. Again, these are present in bacteria and other single-celled organisms.
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Why do you want the thread deleted? You asked some interesting questions and, hopefully, others will want to contribute to the discussion.
Haha, well we're not really evolving like we used to thanks to medical advances keeping alive even those of us who don't do so well health-wise in our current environment.
But still, it's not so much of a stretch to imagine that seeing in the ultraviolet or infrared would be possible (infrared would be the most useful I guess), although maybe our brains will learn to receive microwaves due to large amount of those that are flying around these days, then we won't need mobile phones. Or at least we'll be able to eavesdrop on other peoples phone conversations...
Could lead to "telepathy" of some kind via beaming low powered microwaves into each others heads or something... not sure if there is any organism that produces microwaves biologically though. Perhaps radio would be easier.
These are all just interactions with EM radiation though, I can't think of any other cool possibilities apart from that at the moment.
But still, it's not so much of a stretch to imagine that seeing in the ultraviolet or infrared would be possible (infrared would be the most useful I guess), although maybe our brains will learn to receive microwaves due to large amount of those that are flying around these days, then we won't need mobile phones. Or at least we'll be able to eavesdrop on other peoples phone conversations...
Could lead to "telepathy" of some kind via beaming low powered microwaves into each others heads or something... not sure if there is any organism that produces microwaves biologically though. Perhaps radio would be easier.
These are all just interactions with EM radiation though, I can't think of any other cool possibilities apart from that at the moment.
Already done.
In WWII they discovered that people who had had cataract operations were capable of seeing into UV: they were employed by SOE to see "invisible" UV lights transmitting morse code signals.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
Many animals have more types of photoreceptors than we do, and many can see into the UV spectrum. Bees and flowers evolved together; many flowers have color patterns that are only visible in UV, and bees can tell them apart. We often wonder how birds that are not dimorphic can tell each other apart; it turns out that they are dimorphic but the difference is in the UV range.
There's some sea creature that eats prey that are invisible in normal light.