#SensoryDisorders

Touch shapes daily life in subtle and powerful ways. New research led by Harvard’s Dr. David Ginty reveals touch as our most complex sense, built from a vast network of cellular sensors that continuously interface with the world. This work, highlighted in a feature by Quanta Magazine and recent Harvard neurobiology findings, shows touch as a dynamic system with many neuron types tuned to different tactile experiences—from a breeze on the skin to a comforting hug.

Touch is a sense so omnipresent that most people rarely pause to appreciate its profound influence—until it’s disrupted. Yet, as fresh research led by Harvard’s Dr. David Ginty reveals, touch is our most complex sense, arising from an intricate landscape of cellular sensors that function as the body’s constantly vigilant interface with the world. These findings, summarized in a sweeping feature in Quanta Magazine and recent reports from Harvard’s neurobiology teams, paint touch not as a single sensation but as a rich, dynamic network involving myriad neuron types, each finely tuned to unique tactile experiences—from the gentle tickle of a breeze on the skin to the comforting pressure of a mother’s hug (Quanta Magazine, 2025; Harvard Medical School, 2024).