Introduction: Beyond Movement: Our 6th Sense Revealed (02:10)

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Humans perceive the external world through the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. A sixth sense determines our movements. Scientists study proprioception. (Credits)

Proprioception (09:07)

Choreographer Yoann Bourgeois tests the sixth sense; dancers consciously perform movements. Jeanette's rare condition makes her unaware of her body's position in space. Fabrice Sarlegna studies Jeanette through a series of physical tests.

Testing Movement Sensors (07:32)

Our body contains sensory receptors which send spatial orientation data to the brain. Edith Ribot-Ciscar studies proprioception using a microelectrode to record impulses as a robot moves her subject's body. She can trick the body into believing it has moved by reversing the signal.

Gravity's Impact on Proprioception (08:12)

Research Engineer Michele Tagliabue studies volunteers using virtual reality. The subject's movements are recorded with and without their use of vision. Results prove the importance of gravity as a reference point. Tagliabue introduces the same test to test an astronaut on the international space station.

Evolving Body Plan (09:15)

Jeanette reveals the existential impact of her condition. Neuroscientist Christine Assaiante researches how proprioception participates in the construction of our body plan. She concludes we are not conscious of our brain's optimization.

Consciousness and Concentration (05:50)

Alpha Jet patrol pilots undergo a visualization exercise to prepare for flight. Assaiante uses an MRI to record the pilot’s conscious mental projection and their imagined movement; it is isochronous to their actual movements.

Perception and Proprioception (09:22)

Research Director Bruno Moulia surrounds a plant with light but finds it orients itself with gravity. Experiments reveal that plants have their own sense of proprioception. Bourgeois’s works provide an analogy between situating yourself in space and the meaning of those actions.

Credits: Beyond Movement: Our 6th Sense Revealed (00:32)

Credits: Beyond Movement: Our 6th Sense Revealed