Uniquely among human senses, hearing is not simply a passive response to stimulation.
Our auditory system is instead enhanced by an active process in cochlear hair cells that …

Most sounds of interest consist of complex, time-dependent admixtures of tones of diverse
frequencies and variable amplitudes. To detect and process these signals, the ear employs …

The sense of hearing achieves its striking sensitivity, frequency selectivity, and dynamic
range through an active process mediated by the inner ear's mechanoreceptive hair cells …

Discrimination of different sound frequencies is pivotal to recognizing and localizing friend
and foe. Here, I review the various hair cell-tuning mechanisms used among vertebrates …

Perhaps the most striking evidence for active processes operating within the inner ears of
mammals and non-mammals alike is their ability to spontaneously produce sound. Predicted …

The cochlea plays a crucial role in mammal hearing. The basic function of the cochlea is to
map sounds of different frequencies onto corresponding characteristic positions on the …

Even in the absence of external stimulation, the cochleas of most humans emit very faint
sounds below the threshold of hearing, sounds that are known as spontaneous otoacoustic …

Background How does the cochlea analyse sound into its component frequencies? In the
1850s Helmholtz thought it occurred by resonance, whereas a century later Békésy's work …

Along with outer hair cell (OHC) somatic electromotility as the actuator of cochlear
amplification, active hair bundle motility may be a complementary mechanism in the …

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are faint sounds generated by healthy inner ears that provide
a window into the study of auditory mechanics. All vertebrate classes exhibit OAEs to varying …