Sense and Sense-ability

The five basic senses of vision, taste, smell, hearing, and touch form the very crux of our ability to perceive, process, and integrate external cues. Is there, however, a sixth sense? Thoughts of a grimacing Bruce Willis aside, evidence suggests that pheromones may regulate instinctive behaviors in awide range of organisms, but whether this truly represents a distinct ‘‘sense’’ remains to be established. This issue’s Select explores four exciting papers that investigate aspects of sensory function and provide some unexpected insights into how primeval some of these senses really are.