Baby Senses

About the Book

From industrious ants to mischievous whales, sensing, understanding, and responding appropriately to the world is an essential life function. Throughout millions of years, the nervous system has evolved to perform the crucial function of interpreting the world in various animal species based on the unique challenges they faced in different environments. Drawing simultaneously from contemporary research on sensory and perceptual mechanisms as well as historical documentation of the anatomy of sensory systems, Baby Senses, by author Dr. Jaya Viswanathan, provides a unique window into the marvels of sensory perceptions that is appealing to children and curious adults. Baby Senses highlights sixteen systems that span the traditional five human senses, internal sensory systems that help animals maintain internal stability, and exotic systems like those that enable animals to sense electrical and magnetic fields or see polarized light. The neuroscience paintings included illustrate a world normally only accessible through a microscope to scientists or in technical scientific articles and textbooks.

About the Author

Dr. Jaya Viswanathan is a neuroscientist, engineer, and artist born and raised in India. She is passionate about understanding how the brain works, so after graduating with an engineering degree (with honors), she pursued a Masters in Neuroscience followed by a Doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience. She then worked as a post-doctoral fellow for 4 years before joining the Division of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging as a Program Analyst [C]. Throughout her scientific career, she has worked on understanding how brains interpret the world around us. She is passionate about providing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) educational resources to all students regardless of social or economic inequalities. She has been featured in the “Lemme ask Ya” podcast hosted by Clay and Jake (Episode 17: Neuro-Knowledge, Not for Naught) available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Patreon. She fell in love with art when pursuing her Doctorate in France and paints every week. Dr. Viswanathan’s Neuroscience art has been featured in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Basic Research Art of Science Showcase, 2022. She also regularly exhibits her art at local galleries in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area where she resides. Through her art and science, she aims to convey the underlying message of social awareness, appreciation, and acceptance of diversity in nature. Feel free to drop her a line at babysensesbook@gmail.com and stay tuned to updates about the book at https://babysensesbook.com/!