How Quiet Sounds Are Magnified By 'Flexoelectric Motors' In The Ear
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - 20:35
in Biology & Nature
Researchers have learned how quiet sounds are magnified by bundles of tiny, hair-like tubes atop "hair cells" in the ear: when the tubes dance back and forth, they act as "flexoelectric motors" that amplify sound mechanically. "We are reporting discovery of a new nanoscale motor in the ear," says the study's principal author.