Senses and the brain

Your senses collect information about the world. Eyes detect light, ears detect sound, the nose detects smells, the tongue detects tastes and the skin detects touch, heat and pain. The sense organs send messages along nerves to your brain.

The brain is the body's control centre. It works out what the messages mean, remembers things and decides what to do. Then it sends messages along nerves to your muscles. If you see a ball coming, your eyes send a message to your brain, and your brain tells your arms to catch. Some responses are very fast, like pulling your hand away from something hot. Animals use their senses too: an owl hears a mouse in the dark, and a dog follows a smell.