Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision.  The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory organs,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Non-Synaptic Mechanism of Ocular Dominance Plasticity.

ASN neuro·2026
Same author

Non-synaptic Mechanism of Ocular Dominance Plasticity.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Connectivity in the Human Cerebral Cortex: A Fundamental Problem and a Possible Explanation for the Cognitive Power of Vertebrates.

The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry·2025
Same author

G-Ratio Commentary-Why You've Been Doing It Wrong.

ASN neuro·2025
Same author

Recovery of node of ranvier structure in optic nerve under visual deprivation.

Neuroscience research·2024
Same author

Why the Havana Syndrome Happened.

The International journal of social psychiatry·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation
09:35

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation

Published on: July 17, 2018

Semiconductor gel in shark sense organs?

R Douglas Fields1, Kyle D Fields, Melanie C Fields

  • 1Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. fieldsd@mail.nih.gov

Neuroscience Letters
|October 2, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Shark ampullae of Lorenzini detect electric fields, not temperature changes. Biophysical studies show purported thermoelectric effects are artifacts from electrode interactions, not intrinsic organ properties.

More Related Videos

Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts
07:02

Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts

Published on: October 6, 2020

Visualization of Cellular Electrical Activity in Zebrafish Early Embryos and Tumors
08:55

Visualization of Cellular Electrical Activity in Zebrafish Early Embryos and Tumors

Published on: April 25, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2026

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation
09:35

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation

Published on: July 17, 2018

Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts
07:02

Extracellular Multi-Unit Recording from the Olfactory Nerve of Teleosts

Published on: October 6, 2020

Visualization of Cellular Electrical Activity in Zebrafish Early Embryos and Tumors
08:55

Visualization of Cellular Electrical Activity in Zebrafish Early Embryos and Tumors

Published on: April 25, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Sensory Physiology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Sharks utilize ampullae of Lorenzini to detect bioelectric fields.
  • A recent study proposed these organs sense temperature via thermoelectric effects in extracted gel.
  • This novel temperature reception mechanism was suggested to operate without ion channels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the proposed thermoelectric mechanism of temperature reception in shark ampullae of Lorenzini.
  • To re-evaluate the sensory transduction mechanism of these electroreceptors.
  • To determine if the gel exhibits unusual thermoelectric or electromechanical properties.

Main Methods:

  • Biophysical studies were conducted on gel extracted from shark ampullae of Lorenzini.
  • Experiments utilized metallic and non-metallic electrodes (carbon, salt bridges).
  • The response of the gel and ordinary seawater to temperature changes was measured using different electrodes.

Main Results:

  • The shark organ gel showed no unusual thermoelectric or electromechanical properties.
  • Thermoelectric responses were identified as artifacts caused by temperature effects on metallic electrodes.
  • Similar responses were observed with ordinary seawater using silver wire electrodes, and no response with non-metallic electrodes.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed thermoelectric mechanism for temperature sensing is not supported by the experimental data.
  • Observed voltages are attributed to electrochemical electrode potentials, not intrinsic properties of the gel.
  • Evidence supports the primary function of ampullae of Lorenzini as electroreceptors for detecting electric fields.