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sense
(sens)
a faculty by which the conditions or properties of things are perceived. Five major senses were traditionally considered:
vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Numerous other senses have now been identified, such as equilibrium, hunger, thirst, malaise, and pain. All senses involve the reception of stimuli by sense organs, each of which is sensitive to a particular kind of stimulus. On receiving a stimulus, the sense organ translates it into
a nerve impulse that is transmitted along a sensory nerve to the cerebral cortex of the brain. The cortex has primary receiving areas where these impulses can be interpreted, or perceived, as sensations.
pertaining to the sense strand of a nucleic acid.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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