Aired
April 16, 2014
NOVA
NOVA
Inside Animal Minds: Dogs & Super Senses #S41E18
What is it like to be a dog, a shark, or a bird? Long the subject of human daydreams, this question is now getting serious attention from scientists who study animal senses. The senses define our experience of the world—they shape our minds, and help make us what we are. Humans rely on smell, sight, taste, touch, and sound, but other animals have super-powered versions of these senses, and a few, like electrically-sensitive sharks, even have extra senses we don’t have at all. From a dog who seems to use smell to tell time, to a dolphin who can "see" with his ears, we will discover how animals use their senses in ways we humans can barely imagine. But it’s not just the senses that are remarkable—it's the brains that process them. How does a swallow’s tiny, one-gram brain take in the flood of visual information that enables the bird to whiz within inches of buildings while flying at 40 miles per hour? How does a dog’s mind turn the sight of a hand signal into the happy anticipation of a treat? How has the evolution of the dog—from its wolf ancestors–reshaped its brain? NOVA goes into the minds of animals to “see” the world in an entirely new way.
Episode 18 of Season 41 from NOVA — available to stream in HD on any device.
Comments & Discussions
Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!
Recommended
Because you liked NOVA
Salisbury Poisonings: The Untold Story
Salisbury Poisonings: The Untold Story
Predator Hunters
Predator Hunters
Trauma Room One
Trauma Room One
History's Greatest Warriors
History's Greatest Warriors
On the Roam
On the Roam
Major Crimes Unit
Major Crimes Unit
Palu Ailesi: Karanlık Sarmal
The Palu Family: Under a Dark Spell
In the Eye of the Storm: Chasers
In the Eye of the Storm: Chasers
K-Everything: A CNN Original Series
K-Everything: A CNN Original Series
The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn?
The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn?
Search for movies, TV shows, collections, manga, or people
Trending Now