ANIMAL SUPERSENSES - Science Photo Library

Science Photo Library Feature Stories - Animal supersensesFor drivers, in-car navigation meanswrong directions are much less likely.In terms of accuracy, convenienceand accessibility, GPS can definitelybe said to match the most impressivenavigation skills of long distancemigrating animals.8.Ultrasound.The human ear can hear sound infrequenciesranging froma low 20 Hzto an earpiercing highof 20,000 Hz.Bats easilybeat that byhearing ultrasoundsupto 150,000 kHz. Simple bat detectorscan convert bat ultrasound noises intosounds audible to the human ear. Butvery high frequency sound waves canalso produce images that we can see– ultrasound images of the unbornfoetus is one example. Ultrasound isalso used for a variety of medical andindustrial diagnostic imaging andeven for cleaning complex components.Given the degree of successwith using ultrasound frequencies,technology beats nature in thiscategory.9.UV vision.Ultraviolet radiation can help andhinder human lives. UV rays from theSun causes skin damage, but UV lightis used to help identify fraud, hardennew tooth fillings, spot fluorescingproteins in biomedical research andaid forensic examination of crimescenes. Ultraviolet sensors can alsolook down on Earth to see ozone holesand dust storms or far into space tosee cosmic structures that visible lightdoes not show. The diverse array oftechnologyutilisingUV lightmeanstechnologybeatsnature…butwouldn’t itbe amazingto see the world in tetrachromaticcolour as birds do?10.Touch.The human sense of touch is actuallyverysensitive – totexture andtemperature.Witness thefluency ofa braillereader to seehow humantouch canadapt andbecome verysensitive.But for remote sensing, we need torely on mechanical technology such asseismographs to detect earthquakesor laparoscopes for delicate medicaltechniques and robotic arms to handledangerous materials. The cat’s whiskeris far more finely attuned to subtlemovements and so must beat technology’sattempts at enhanced touch.ENDS 915 WORDS ©2007 SCIENCEPHOTO LIBRARY