Human Senses

With Negel Marven...What is it about things that smell bad? Do all bad smells have something in common? Compared to some animals, our sense of smell is generally very poor. This episode goes in search of the most disgusting smell in the world, and attempts to discover the basic biological reasons why we like some smells and find others disgusting.

With Negel Marven...Why is it that humans so good at seeing some things, when at other times their brains prevent them from seeing what’s right in front of their eyes? This programme tells us what our eyes really get up to, with the help of the latest eye-tracking technology and a pair of ‘upside-down goggles’.

With Nigel Marven...Our sense of hearing is the one sense that never sleeps – it evolved to protect us from ambush at night. This programme looks at the powerful emotional effects evoked by music and other sounds.

When it comes to touch, humans are similar to elephants – a few areas of the body are extremely sensitive, like an elephant’s trunk; the rest may as well be covered in thick hide. Experiments with electric shocks, painkillers and hypnosis demonstrate the role of the brain in the experience of physical pain.

With Nigel Marven...Humans’ try-anything attitude to food has allowed us to populate every corner of the planet. But there are tastes that push our taste buds to the limit, from chilli to the Chinese delicacy ‘Thousand Year Old Egg’.

Balance is our true sixth sense; it enables us to sense how our bodies are moving around in the world and keep us upright.This programme reveals why spinning round in circles makes you dizzy and why alcohol consumption famously affects one’s ability to walk in a straight line!