Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Now Hear This

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Diagram of the human ear. NIH image.

We'll talk about research into how people hear, from the tiny hair cells within the ear, to the body's ways of dealing with loud noises. New research published this week in the journal Nature suggests that a particular type of neuron found in the ear may help to process painfully loud sounds. We'll talk with researcher Paul Fuchs about these cells, called Type II cochlear afferent neurons, and their behavior.

Guests

Paul Fuchs
Co-director, Center for Sensory Biology
John Bordley Professor
Director of Research
Department of Otolaryngology
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Related Links

Segment produced by:Christopher Intagliata

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SciFri Gifts
Support for Science Friday provided in part by the Noyce Foundation
and
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The National Science Foundation
Research Corporation for Science Advancement