Shape not Size Matters to the Cochlea
When it comes to hearing in mammals, shape matters. According to a recent study published by the National Institute of Science, there is a direct link between the curvature of the cochlea and its ability to perceive lower frequency hearing limits.
The snail-shaped cochlea located in the inner ear converts sound waves into nerve impulses which are deciphered by the brain. Researchers believe that by understanding this relationship between the shape of the cochlea and its hearing limitations (in mammals) they can estimate what the impact of human activities may have on wild animals (who won’t sit still for a hearing test). The end result could bring greater understanding to how hearing evolved.
The spiral shape of the cochlea is only found in mammals. Those animals with tightly coiled cochleae tend to have greater hearing ranges. Sound enters the ear and strikes the eardrum, which sends vibrations to the fluid of the cochlea. This creates pressure waves that move along a narrowing coiled canal of the cochlea.
According to Darlene Ketten, an assistant professor at Harvard who participated on the study, the curvature of the cochlea and its effect on hearing has long been a controversial subject among scientists. But the new study now provides them with a new theory to better understand the hearing limitations of mammals based on the unique curve of individual cochleae.
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When it comes to hearing in mammals, shape matters. According to a recent study published by the National Institute of Science, there is a direct link between the curvature of the cochlea and its ability to perceive lower frequency hearing limits.
The snail-shaped cochlea located in the inner ear converts sound waves into nerve impulses which are deciphered by the brain. Researchers believe that by understanding this relationship between the shape of the cochlea and its hearing limitations (in mammals) they can estimate what the impact of human activities may have on wild animals (who won’t sit still for a hearing test). The end result could bring greater understanding to how hearing evolved.
The spiral shape of the cochlea is only found in mammals. Those animals with tightly coiled cochleae tend to have greater hearing ranges. Sound enters the ear and strikes the eardrum, which sends vibrations to the fluid of the cochlea. This creates pressure waves that move along a narrowing coiled canal of the cochlea.
According to Darlene Ketten, an assistant professor at Harvard who participated on the study, the curvature of the cochlea and its effect on hearing has long been a controversial subject among scientists. But the new study now provides them with a new theory to better understand the hearing limitations of mammals based on the unique curve of individual cochleae.
Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList
