Biology / Unit 12 Bio 2893 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Somatosensation Splits Into Several Distinct Modalities
Captions available
The idea
What is casually called "touch" splits into distinct modalities — light touch, pressure, stretch, temperature, and pain, per Bio 2879 and 2883 — each with its own receptor type.
In practice
A Pacinian corpuscle and a Merkel's disk both register as "touch" colloquially, yet detect different properties.
Where people slip
"Humans have five senses," per Bio 2891, undercounts by treating this receptor family as a single sense.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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