Document type: Essay published on 04/03/22 by Editions Delachaux et Niestlé EAN13 : 9782603027080
Author: Benoît Grison
Preview: The Doors of Animal Perception. Much of the sensory universe of a cat, an octopus or a fly is unfamiliar to us because the number of separate senses used by animals is double the five senses used by humans.
Why does the Architeuthis squid have an eye the size of a volleyball? Do pheromones play a role in human relationships? How do great apes detect plant molecules that can look after their health? Is it true that elephants perceive infrasound, and that platypuses can detect the magnetic fields surrounding their prey? Neuroscience can now provide clear and fascinating answers to all these questions - by comparison humans and their meagre senses hardly represent the peak of evolution!
Illustrated with precision and humour by Arnaud Rafaelian's drawings, this book opens the doors of animal perception.
Benoit Grison, who has a doctorate in cognitive science and is a biologist and an expert on the sociology of science, is a teacher and researcher in the Science and Technology Department of the University of Orléans. He is a member of the scientific advisory board for the journal Espèces and a contributor to Pour la Science, having also been involved in the production of numerous scientific documentaries. He is the author of Du Yéti au Calmar Géant, published by Delachaux et Niestlé. A graphic designer and illustrator, Arnaud Rafaelian graduated from the Olivier-de-Serres and Estienne national academies and worked for ten years for a design agency before setting up on his own. He has contributed to the natural-history magazine Espèces since its creation, and has illustrated numerous popular science books.
