Project Description:
From the penguin that sees into the ultraviolet to the snake which senses in the infrared, wild creatures engage the world in ways we humans can barely comprehend. From echolocation to chemoreception, animal sensory systems have inspired and informed human technologies. Did you know that your house cat can hear a much greater range of sounds than you? Or that the house mouse has evolved to make sounds well beyond the range of even the hearing of the cat? Sitting on the kitchen floor, ears twitching as he emphatically ignores you, your cat may be reacting to a broad array of sensory triggers which are beyond your comprehension. And if sound is part of the "arms" race for playing cat and mouse, you will be even more surprised at the starfish which sees light through its arms and the butterflies and bees which can taste through their feet! The earth constantly glows and buzzes and vibrates just outside our ability to perceive. Many of our most significant technologies are designed to provide humans with data that comes to animals quite naturally. "Uncommon Senses" helps us to experience how our creature cousins encounter the earth.

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