Customer Reviews

Sensory Exotica: A World beyond Human Experience

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

how do bats find their way in the dark? how do fish and birds experience or sense the world around them? echolocation, bioelectricity and internal navigation systems are some of the sensory cabilities discussed in this interesting book

I was hoping for an overview of dozens of sensory systems in use in the world today. In that I was disappointed, because the book only covers something like 5 of them. By contrast my Encyclopedia Britannica has a better overview of sensoria under 'senses'.

On the other hand, those senses that are covered are covered in considerably more depth than I was expecting, and were an enjoyable read. Descriptions of the neurobiology of how the various senses process input were particularly welcome.

This book was assigned reading for a university-level animal behavior/neurobiology class. I tore through it in 3 weeks (which sounds like a lot, but in grad. school it is the blink of an eye!) The beginning of the first chapter is a little hard to take (it describes some rather horrific ways men used to test echolocation in bats back in the days when science ethics was still in its infancy) but the rest is a delightfully written look into how various animals use their unique senses (echolocation, electroreception, magnetic field detection ect). I was worried that it might be a bunch of technical jargon, and some parts are, but the author does a fantastic job of taking that jargon and explaining it in a way that most people should be able to understand. It is funny and informative... one of the few assigned readings that I have really loved and appreciated. I'd read it at the pizza parlor near campus and people would regularly stare at me as I guffawed, laughed my butt off, or blurted out "really" with a stunned, pleasantly surprised and a bit too loud voice. Anyone who has even a passing interest in animal behavior and the physics, physiology, and anatomy behind their "exotic" (read: mostly non-human) senses. It spans more than just biology and is written so well, that non-scientists would love it.

I am a neuroscience major and I read this book for a seminar. It is very accessible and engaging. I find the history of science fascinating and I love that Hughes decided to describe the experiments done to investigate these systems. A great read and a good gateway to more difficult perception texts.

Good reading for those who loves animals,navigation,sensing,
biology,physics or nature.

This book is about sensory modalities, like a bat's sonar, which humans do not have. Ever since I read Nagel's What is it like to be a Bat as a wee lad, I have wondered that very thing. So you would think I would have loved this book. You might think so, but you woul be wrong.

Though I am very interested in the subject this review covers (hence the 2-stars) I could not finish the book because of the chatty, faux-chummy style. I compleatly support the idea that science writing does not have to be dry and jargon-heavy but there is no need for a forced imitation of an informal discusion.

I may skim though the rest, but every time I open the book I want to send the author Strunk and White.