Wonderfest: A Sixth Sense: Sharks and Electricity

Sharks exhibit an incredible sensitivity to their watery environment, including an extra sensory advantage: the ability to detect tiny electric signals. This sixth sense can help them locate meals, identify mates, and even, we believe, navigate the oceans. Hundreds of "electrosensors" sit embedded within a shark's head; in concert, they can discern changes as small as a billionth of a single volt. This talk will bring together physics, chemistry, and biology to reveal how a creature can "see" the world electrically. Our speaker, Dr. Brandon Brown, is professor and chair in the Physics Department at the University of San Francisco.