Here's Where It Gets Interesting - Episode Summary

Title: How Animal Senses Reveal Hidden Realms with Ed Yong
Host: Sharon McMahon
Guest: Ed Yong, author of An Immense World
Release Date: June 2, 2025
Platform: Audacy Podcast

Introduction

In this captivating episode of Here's Where It Gets Interesting, host Sharon McMahon welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ed Yong to delve into the extraordinary world of animal senses. Drawing from his acclaimed book, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, Yong unravels the myriad ways animals perceive their environments, vastly different from human experiences.

The Genesis of An Immense World

Sharon expresses her admiration for Yong's work, noting, “How animal senses reveal the hidden realms around us” (04:22), highlighting her own curiosity about animal navigation and perception. Ed Yong shares the inspiration behind his book, crediting his marine biologist wife for suggesting the exploration of animal sensory worlds during a creative drought. He states, “This question of what other animals think, how they experience the world, I think touches on big questions about consciousness, about subjective experiences” (04:52).

Unique Animal Senses

Yong elaborates on several extraordinary senses that animals possess, which remain inaccessible to humans:

• Magnetic Sensing in Birds and Whales: Yong explains how songbirds and sea turtles navigate vast distances by sensing the Earth's magnetic field, functioning as a “living compass inside their bodies” (07:39). He cites a study linking solar storms to increased whale strandings, suggesting whales’ reliance on magnetic fields for migration (22:17).

• Electric Field Detection: Many aquatic creatures like sharks and platypuses can sense electric fields generated by living organisms, a sense entirely absent in humans.

• Enhanced Whisker Sensitivity in Seals: Seals use their whiskers to detect minute water movements left by fish, enabling precise hunting abilities invisible to the human eye.

• Ultraviolet Vision in Animals: Most animals can perceive ultraviolet light, revealing patterns and markings on flowers that are invisible to humans. Yong illustrates this with sunflowers, which appear uniformly yellow to us but display a bright ultraviolet bullseye to pollinators (11:02).

Notable Quote:

“Most animals can see ultraviolet. So we're actually very strange in not being able to see this color.” – Ed Yong (11:02)

The Complexity of Canine Senses

The discussion transitions to dogs and their remarkable sense of smell. Sharon posits that dogs likely do not have the same value judgments about smells as humans, preventing their sensory world from being overwhelmingly negative. Yong agrees, stating, “Dogs do exist in this wonderful rich world of smell that we not only don't access but also I think don't really respect enough.” (18:37)

He elaborates on the difference between human and canine olfactory experiences, emphasizing that dogs use their sense of smell actively for exploration and social interaction, akin to humans using social media.

Notable Quote:

“A dog sniffing patches of pee on the sidewalk is like me checking my Instagram feed.” – Ed Yong (19:33)

Echolocation and Navigation in Dolphins and Whales

Yong discusses the sophisticated echolocation abilities of dolphins, comparing them to a combination of hearing and touch. He describes experiments where dolphins could detect minute differences in objects that humans couldn't perceive, demonstrating an “absurdly precise” sense (37:17).

When addressing whale migration, Yong mentions the possibility that whales use both magnetic sensing and low-frequency sound waves to navigate the vast oceans, although definitive evidence remains elusive due to the challenges of studying these magnificent creatures (22:17).

Notable Quote:

“Sound tends to reflect off when it encounters changes in density... a dolphin echolocating on a human likely can sense its skeleton.” – Ed Yong (31:36)

Balance and Equilibrium in Animals

Sharon brings up the agility of cats, marveling at their ability to right themselves mid-fall. Yong introduces the concept of equilibrioception, the sense of balance, housed in the inner ear. He notes the scarcity of research on this sense across different species but provides intriguing examples:

• Cheetahs’ Superior Balance: Their incredible speed necessitates an exceptional sense of balance.
• Dolphins’ Minimal Need for Balance: Living in a three-dimensional aquatic environment reduces the importance of a balance sense compared to terrestrial animals.

Notable Quote:

“Equilibrioception... it's a sense of balance that tells me if I am the right way up.” – Ed Yong (26:44)

Favorite Animal Senses Explored

When asked about his favorite animal sense researched for the book, Yong chooses dolphin echolocation. He is fascinated by its precision and the active role it plays in navigating and understanding the underwater world. He recounts an experiment where a dolphin could distinguish between two nearly identical cylinders, detecting minute differences unseen by humans (37:17).

Notable Quote:

“Echolocation is actually a little bit like a weird version of touch... it's an active way of exploring the world.” – Ed Yong (40:13)

Dogs’ Recognition Beyond Faces

Sharon references a recent study indicating that dogs recognize their owners not by facial features but through scent, shape, and sound. Yong concurs, explaining that while humans rely heavily on vision, dogs prioritize their olfactory senses, often simultaneously sniffing and looking at their owners without humans realizing the depth of their recognition (41:11).

Notable Quote:

“When we dog sit other dogs, dogs will react if we walk past someone who is the kind of vague shape of their owner, but they won't react in quite the same way when they get close enough to smell or hear.” – Ed Yong (41:09)

Conclusion and Reflections

Sharon shares her personal connection to Yong's book, expressing how it instills a profound sense of wonder about the unseen aspects of the natural world. Both agree that the mystery surrounding animal senses enhances the allure and appreciation of wildlife, making the exploration of these hidden realms all the more fascinating.

Notable Quote:

“What an immense world... there’s so much that I cannot even perceive that tiny little ants are out here doing stuff that I can't even imagine.” – Sharon McMahon (43:58)

Ed Yong concludes by emphasizing the importance of continuing to explore and question the complexities of animal perception, even if some mysteries may remain unsolved.

About Ed Yong's An Immense World

An Immense World has been lauded as one of the New York Times' 10 Best Books of the year. Yong's meticulous research and eloquent storytelling offer readers a gateway into understanding the profound and varied sensory experiences of animals, challenging the limitations of human perception.

Recommendations:

• For Animal Lovers: Dive into An Immense World to uncover the astonishing ways animals perceive their surroundings.
• For Curious Minds: Explore the intersections of science, philosophy, and consciousness through Yong's insightful narratives.

Final Thoughts: This episode is a treasure trove for anyone fascinated by the natural world and eager to expand their understanding of animal cognition and sensory perception. Sharon McMahon and Ed Yong deliver an enlightening conversation that not only informs but also inspires a deeper appreciation for the hidden realms that surround us.