Scientists Discover Humans Have a 'Seventh Sense

Scientists just confirmed humans possess an extraordinary ability we never knew we had: the power to sense objects we can't see or touch.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London wondered if humans could detect hidden objects the same way shorebirds find buried prey in sand. These birds survive by sticking their beaks into beaches and sensing tiny vibrations that reveal hidden food beneath the surface.

The team buried small cubes in sand containers and asked volunteers to move their fingers through it. The challenge was to stop when they sensed the cube's presence, but before actually touching it.

The results stunned researchers. Participants detected the hidden cubes 70 percent of the time without physical contact.

"Participants were able to perceive extremely small shifts in the sand caused by the buried object," the research team explained. These shifts happen when moving sand subtly changes direction after hitting a stable surface underneath.

Scientists are calling this ability "remote touch," and it represents a potential seventh sense beyond our traditional five plus proprioception (knowing where our body parts are in space). You've probably experienced this before during the classic party trick where someone slowly moves their finger toward your forehead while your eyes are closed. Most people can sense when the finger gets close, feeling a tingling or buzzing sensation before contact happens.

To test how refined human remote touch really is, researchers pitted people against specially designed robots equipped with tactile sensors. The robots detected cubes from farther away but achieved only 40 percent accuracy, nearly half the human success rate.

Why This Inspires

This discovery opens doors we didn't know existed. Engineers could design robots capable of delicate archaeological digs that never damage artifacts. Space exploration rovers might navigate Martian soil with unprecedented sensitivity. Assistive technologies could extend human touch in ways that help people explore hazardous environments safely.

"These insights could inform the development of advanced robots capable of delicate operations," said Zhengqi Chen, a PhD student who worked on the study. The applications stretch from ocean floor exploration to medical procedures requiring extreme precision.

The human body continues surprising us with hidden capabilities. Scientists had never studied remote touch in humans before this experiment, meaning we're just beginning to understand how this sense works. The discovery reminds us that evolution equipped us with remarkable tools for survival, even ones we forgot we had.

Imagine what the eighth sense might turn out to be.