Quick Answer: A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the surroundings through the detection of stimuli. During sensation, sense organs collect various stimuli for transduction, meaning transformation into a form that can be understood by the brain. Sensation and perception are fundamental to nearly every aspect of an organism's cognition, behavior and thought. Although, in some cultures, five human senses were traditionally identified as such, many more are now recognized. Senses used by non-human organisms are even greater in variety and number. In organisms, a sensory organ consists of a group of interrelated sensory cells that respond to a specific type of physical stimulus.