Most of us lost our electrosensory abilities along the way

Mississippi Paddlefish The American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, has the most ampullary organs of any living vertebrate species. Wikipedia

Birds and some mammals are able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field, using it to orient themselves and even look for prey. Other vertebrates can detect electric fields and use them for the same purpose. Apparently the fish from which humans and most other vertebrates are all descended had this sixth sense, and we just lost it along the way, a new study says.

The development of hair in vertebrates — which is still not well understood — may also be related to this ancient ability, the study authors theorize. Understanding how such an ancient and essential system evolved could help evolutionary biologists examine the heritage of other complex organ systems, like eyes or the brain.

The vertebrates’ common ancestor lived 500 million years ago and was probably a marine predator with good eyesight and a stripe along its side, which represented a lateral line system for detecting movement in the water. The line system, present in fish and some amphibians, contains sensory hair cells that are identical to the ones in our inner ears, which help the animal sense its environment. Fish use these cells to detect weak electrical signals in water, which helps them seek prey, avoid predators and even to communicate and school.

This line system is directly connected to the the evolution of other electrosensory abilities, according to the researchers — the first time this connection has been described. Through millions of years of evolution, most birds, reptiles and mammals lost their lateral lines, as well as their electrosensory abilities (with a couple exceptions).

A salamander called the Mexican axolotl has electro-sensing capability, as does the American paddlefish, whose roughly 70,000 electroreceptors in its paddle-shaped snout are easily the most of any living animal. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and Cornell University studied embryo development in paddlefish to watch how these receptors form.

They noted that the cells form in the same pattern in developing embryos of fish and previously studied axolotls, which confirms it’s an ancient system common to both lineages of vertebrates, actinopterygians and sarcopterygians. And they form immediately adjacent to the lateral line, which provides evidence that the two sensory systems share a common heritage, as a news release from Cornell explains.

This is interesting because these results will help biologists unravel the sensory capabilities of modern animals and their ancestors, and how the process of evolution allowed some animals, but not all, to keep this sixth sense. The study is published this week in Nature Communications.

27 Comments

So when something feels fishy, is does in fact feel fishy? Who would have thought!?

Interesting that our common ancestor lived only 500 Million years ago. That's a lot of evolution in that time considering the variety and level of development of vertebrates. In that 'relatively' short time-span you got everything from humans to salamanders. I wonder how long it took that fish to evolve. What would be most interesting to me, which is impossible but still an interesting thought, is to trace the patri-lineage of us all to a single animal.

I want my sixth sense back please.
actually i think we have retained a little bit of our sixth sense you know that feeling that someone is behind you? thats it.
______________________________________________________________
*growls*If you troll or flare I WILL MAUL YOU!*growls*

I have a sense of variation of time. It is difficult to explain and yet I seem to observe a change in speed of time, despite how fast I am moving.

When there is a full moon resting opposite on the horizon to a rising sun or visa versa, I accomplish a lot more in that day and time moves slowly.

But on other days, I can wake up early, drive fast to work and I will still arrive 30 minutes late.

Sounds crazy huh, well, I am glad I am typing anonymous. Because I know I will be heckled. It is an observation hard to detect, strange.

I mean if you always had blurry vision all you life and one day it was a little clearer and then the next day back to the way it was, how would you explain this to somebody else?

I often wondered too, if time is like water. And as the Sun, Earth moon travel through the COSMOS we pass through say different thicknesses of time and time too can be affected by variations in gravity or the lack of gravity. Well who knows, not I, but I do sense days, when time is different.

Go figure, right?

time isn't a substance that can be affected by outside sources... it's a byproduct.

Many Scientists argue that time doesn't exist at all, and the perception of "time" by our brains is variable, things that chance the rate at which we take in information (which we naturally plot on a timeline of the day.. the more plots the slower the day, the less plots the faster the day) are chemical balance, stress, being well rested, fight or flight reactions, basically everything.

the number of timeline plots you retain is also variable, thus on that day it may seem like time passes normally (got average amount of things done) you could have a terrible night sleep, drug use including alcohol and caffeine, all sorts of things will change your short term memory. Thus erasing time plots, making the time of that day seem like it flew by.

an unbalanced lifestyle or easily being distracted can make people think time isn't constant.

cheers, eh

My spidey sense is tingling. =)

ptv83,
When I cannot accurately describe in type of scientific sense of my distorted time perception transitory episodes, it would only be harder from an outsider to grasp my problem. And if my problem is real, then perhaps the outsider may have his own distorted sense of time too transitory episodes, leaving us both farther apart in a clear understanding of how our perceptions differ.

I observed a purple sunset. You say you see the purple sunset too. But do we both see the same purple?

Well, it's time for bed and for me, sunrise may or may not come early. Good night!

Some humans still have a similar ability, but it is incredibly uncommon.

It's called Qigong, or Chi gong, or Nei gong. Chinese yoga. If you do enough of it you'll believe humans can still detect the electric field.

Also, the thing about time patterns and short term memory makes a lot of sense. However, why should we assume time progresses at an even pace? We don't even know what, or if, it is.

Things seem to behave in wavelike patterns, so perhaps Time also ebbs and flows.

I'm not a bible thumper, but maybe the Universe really was created in 6 or so days. How long was a day back then anyway (compared to how we perceive time now?) A billion years? A second?

And for that matter, how long is a universal "day", sure not 24 hours.

We didn't really lose it, it just evolved into a different mechanism, and we suppress that. That form of yoga isn't the only method of redeveloping the ability, any discipline that has a strong focus on meditation and spiritual awareness will suffice. Such techniques and disciplines are almost non-existent in Western cultures due in large part to the Catholic Church, because such things were seen/are seen as witchcraft and associated unpleasantness. Modern science compounds the problem by saying energy awareness and other such things are impossible, hooie, and supernatural, therefore we shall not even attempt to study it. The truth of the matter is, the supernatural is simply nature poorly understood by science. It's going to take another 50+ years of quantum physics research before that "DUH!" moment gets published, if at all.

ptv83,
Yesterday as hard as I tried, I was 30 minutes late to work, yet all my movements were of extra fast.

Last night, I stayed up to 12pm and went to bed. So you figure I be slow and tired in the morning. Well, I wake up and do my typical movements and find myself at work 20 minutes easier that when I am suppose to be here. Side note, there was a full moon over my office building.

There you go. I guess, it’s just another typical day of time variance perception transitory episode for me as I work my way through the different yeddies of time density.

*News Flash*

God called to say that we didn't lose our sixth sense.....we lost common sense.

That is all :)

@ptv83:

I have lots of experience with your memory comment, unfortunatly. Right now I can't usually remember around 80% of what happened past 24 hours. Anything I do remember has no spacial recognition, meaning I can't remember a time of day, what day, what month and (for older memories) what year. At times I can remember a year if I spend some time and count a really major event. Even then I still have trouble with some things (I had wrist surgery sometime before my job change and I can't remember what year no matter how hard I try.) As a result, time seems to go by very fast for me since I can't remember most of what happened anyway.

This is especially true when I'm pre occupied doing something. My ability to multitask (yes I know this is false term) is almost nill. So, when I'm preoccupied its as if what is happening around me isn't happening at all. I've even spilled over a cup while watching tv as I was pouring in the glass. I forgot I was pouring a drink and it overfilled the glass.

My memory issues have been going on since I think late 2006. I only remember because I switched jobs in that year.

Well at least it took 12 scientific posts before the nutters chimed in. Look, Take the God talk to where it belongs, Church. Mother Nature just called, she wants all the trees cut down for those massive bibles back.

Anyway, I can hear electricity some times, Not just the high tension wires, but TV sets and some radio equipment. I can also seeming tell which way is north, even blind folded. I also perfer to sleep a certain direction as well, which happens to be with my head in as much a northerly direction is possible. I came across this last fact much by accident. I had noticed that each time I had a new bedroom, be that basic training, military training school, college or any of the apartments I've rented and the now home that I own. I would not sleep well and would toss and turn all night, this would keep happening until I moved my bed to a different location. It wasn't until some bored afternoon pondering old things that I realized that no matter where I was, the sun would set in my window to the right of me... and that all the times I was unable to sleep well, I was not in this position. Some people are more "in tune" than others. But all in all, I'm not sure if it's something learned or not.

Playing Devil's Advocate since 1978

"The only constant in the universe is change"
-Heraclitus of Ephesus 535 BC - 475 BC

POPsci had an article the other day about people moving to the Appalachian mountains to avoid radio waves and electromagnetic waves. And everyone said these people were crazy. Then popsci comes out with this BS article saying that we came from fish and we should be able to sense electric fields…and everyone all of a sudden can sense electric fields. Friggin hilarious.

Next you are going to tell me those fish arranged sea shells into a collage to keep themselves company…oh wait you already did. Whoever is paying for this research should be slapped upside the head.

@Aldrons Last Hope, (everyone you say)
I made no such claim as to having any type of enhance electronic field sensitivity.

All my remarks were of time variance perception transitory episode occurances.

..........
Oh, I am glad to see it’s the real you! ;)

the "sixth" sense is still there we just need to unlock it. open your third eye than talk to me.

_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.

- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri

@codezero:

I can hear when a tv is on also, I asked my wife one day something about it on our old tv and she said she couldn't hear it. I had just assumed everyone heard them until then (the same thing happened when I asked about remembering dreams one day.) The only type I can't hear are LCD tvs and monitors. Though if the sound is low enough it may be drowned out by the constant ringing in my ears from tinnitis.

Can't believe there haven't been tests already.
I can feel it when my computers wifi is on, or when my cell phone is on a call (with my headset). Most probably can, they just ignore it.
Some old (1960's) TV's use to give me a headache feeling if I got closer than a foot.

@codezero --

Sometimes what you hear from your TV is simply sound. Components whine, buzz, whir, click.

But I do think there may be something to the ability of some people to orient north. My dad always said I had a "direction bump" like him. I spent my youth in the woods, two decades in the Army in the woods and now I'm back to the woods.

I've always been able to orient myself.

Could be practice, attained knowledge and experience I simply take for granted. But it began early, so I don't know.

My dad and my son both have the same ability.

It would be interesting to see if one could take me to a research facility, spin me around in a cylindrical white room and see if I could point north.

If so, that would be fun. If not, then it's all about the long experience. And being able to read a topo map.

Q

If I have a bi-polar personality, does that enhance or short circuit my electromagnet sixth sense?

No joke... I sleep better north-south (head-feet) than any other direction. My sixth sense might still be intact somehow lolololz!!

QIII I understand the "components" thing, I was an Air Force Electronic Warfare Specialist and I'm a current IT Security Tech and Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Tech, got my A+ as well. The sound I hear is different from component noise and it's very hard to describe. I can hear some crappy solid state electronics as well, like the usb charger I have at work, it's a cheapy unit, as soon as it gets voltage, I can hear it, none of the other people in my office can though...

As far as humans being able to detect magnetic north, it's not that hard to imagine. I mean, I can take a paperclip, a battery, some wire, a small puddle of water and a leaf and make a compass. We are comprised of a massive amount of water, our inner ear is fill with it, having a specialized portion of your sensory system that can feel the very slight pull of north isn't that far of a stretch really. If you believe in evolution, than it should be a given. Most birds know north... just because this artical decided to focus on fish, doesn't detract from this ingrained ability.

Playing Devil's Advocate since 1978

"The only constant in the universe is change"
-Heraclitus of Ephesus 535 BC - 475 BC

some one better be quiet

-

The Sixth Sense - New GROUNDBREAKING Book in 2012! The Sixth Sense leads to Enlightenment
DNA Healing Code - Hardwired in ALL Humans

As an example of what I mean by “Groundbreaking” info that can be found in the 2012 release of my new book on The Sixth Sense (not yet titled )…..
There is a sequence required to communicate with Infinite Intelligence – to gain insight and/or much more complicated yet achievable, HolisticDNA Energy Healing. The sequence required is on multiple simultaneous levels, not just “step by step” like an instruction manual for assembling a piece of furniture.
The “Key” sequence has to do with applying known facts, beliefs, emotions and faith (not religious) – if not applied exactly as detailed, the Sixth Sense will remain dormant, and not be “activated”. As an example:

fact --
fact --
fact --
belief --
fact --
in theory --
belief --
fact --
belief --
Faith --
fact --
fact --
fact --
Faith

you won’t find this in any existing text, which is why The Sixth Sense is so rarely utilized and hard to confirm. This will allow the Scientific Community to experiment and confirm my claims — remember, just a few decades ago, it was impossible to have a Man walk on the moon. Time for the next impossible to be challenged and confirmed — real

Steve Meyer HolisticDNA



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