The Science Of Synesthesia And Super Sensors

1A

NPR

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4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 October 2023

⏱️ 34 minutes

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Summary

Joy Milne met her husband Les in high school. Nearly 15 years after they met, Joy smelled something different about Les. The scent wouldn't go away, and a decade later, Les was diagnosed with Parkinson's. It turned out, Joy's nose was detecting the disease, long before doctors could.

Joy's hyperosmia, or super-smelling ability, helped develop a non-invasive swab test for Parkinson's. Hers is one of many stories in the new book "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: The Astonishing New Science of the Senses."

Author Maureen Seaberg is a super sensor too. She joins us to discuss why some of us have superior senses, and how we can all harness that power.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from NPR Sponsored, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation,
0:05.1	who believe high-risk, high-reward research is the best way to make breakthroughs against cancer.
0:09.9	Learn more about Damon Runyon's Brave and Bold approach at DamonRunyon.org.
0:22.2	Monday is red, and Tuesday is definitely green.
0:24.9	Notes on the musical scale have colors.
0:27.8	A below middle, C is blue, B flat is magenta, B is purple, C is yellow, D is red, E is blue,
0:39.7	F is green, and G is orange.
0:43.7	And taste are also connected to tactile sensations.
0:46.6	Some savory and salty flavors have what I experience on my tongue as points,
0:50.6	like pressure against a stiff brush.
0:53.1	I sometimes can use this sense in cooking to season a dish or get to a certain level
0:57.3	of a charred flavor.
0:58.6	That's one a listener Robert in Miami.
1:01.4	He's describing his experience with synesthesia.
1:04.6	That's when senses like taste, envision, or vision and hearing cross over and affect each other.
1:11.0	Our five senses shape how we understand the world.
1:13.7	But everyone experiences those senses differently.
1:17.1	Some of us are super-sensors with abilities beyond the norm.
1:20.6	I'm Jen White.
1:21.6	You're listening to The What A Podcast where we get to the heart of the story.
1:25.3	Today is all about the amazing science of the senses.
1:29.2	We'll meet super-sensors and synesthetes, including more of you.
	...

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