 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Extra Senses
|
 |
|
 |
MISSED A PROGRAMME?
Go to the Listen Again page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aristotle defined our five senses over two and a half thousand years ago. But in fact we have many more. In this five part series, Graham Easton delves into the Extra Senses that we take for granted. He finds out how they work and meets some remarkable people who experience these senses in a unique way.
|
|
|
 |
|
| The Torture King (Picture: copyright Jon Alloway) |
Programme 1 - Pain
Graham steps into the Pain Research laboratory at the Institute of Psychiatry in London to discover why some things hurt more than others.
Plus he talks to The Torture King, who performs some pretty shocking stunts. How does he control his pain?
Related Links
Zamora - The Torture King
University of Oxford - Irene Tracey
Reading University - Lucy Bending
BBC Radio 4 - Check Up: Chronic Pain
 Listen again to programme 1 |
|
 |
|
| Ballet dancer Jenna Lee in rehearsal |
Programme 2 - Balance
Graham attempts to master balance by taking a lesson with The English National Ballet, and has a dizzy moment in the balance lab at Charing Cross Hospital, London.
But what happens if your balance systems goes permanently astray? Steve Geary has a rare condition which affects his sense of balance, and means that he can hear his eyes squeak.
Related Links
English National Ballet
London Balance Laboratory - Dizziness
Canada - Sensorimotor Neuroscience Laboratory
BBC Health - Vertigo
Listen again to programme 2 |
|
 |
|
|
Programme 3 - Time
Why does time fly when you're having fun and drag when you're bored? This week, Graham looks at our sense of time and finds out that it's not as stable as we might think.
He discovers how our internal clock works and talks to Paul White, whose body clock runs on a 30-hour day. Graham also undergoes hypnosis to try and slow down his sense of time.
Related links
Greenwich Observatory - Timekeeping
Surrey University - Prof Josephine Arendt
Prof Anthony Gayling
Open University - Dr Peter Naish
Radio 4 - Material World - The body clock
BBC Four - Time series
Listen again to programme 3
|
|
 |
|
|
Programme 4 - Temperature
Getting hot at the gym might feel uncomfortable, but our bodies are working hard to keep our core temperature stable. A few degrees above or below our normal 37C and we would die.
This week, Graham talks to polar explorer Dr Mike Stroud about the perils of frostbite, and to hyperhydrosis patient Justine, who suffers from excess sweating.
Related Links
Hyperhydrosis UK Support Group
International Hyperhydrosis Society
BBC Health – Frostbite
BBC Health – Hypothermia
BBC Weather – Features
BBC Radio 4 – Case Notes: Body Temperature
Listen again to programme 4
|
|
 |
|
|
Programme 5 -Digestion
The final programme of the series delves into our inner sense of digestion. From eating to excreting, how do our bodies detect when we are full, or need emptying?
Graham finds out why we all have different appetite levels, and which foods make us feel more full. Then he visits Dr Slack at his bladder clinic, to discover what’s happening when you’ve got to go.
Related Links
BBC Science – Human Body: The Stomach
BBC Health – Nutrition
BBC Science – Obesity
BBC Science – Human Body: The Bladder
UK Paruresis Trust – Shy Bladder
BBC Health – Incontinence
BBC Parenting – Potty training
Listen again to programme 5
|
|
|
RELATED LINKS |
|
|
BBC Health
BBC Science - Human Senses
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
