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Related Concept Videos

The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

50.5K
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
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Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location01:21

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

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The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
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Hearing01:31

Hearing

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When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
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Hair Cells01:22

Hair Cells

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Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
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Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

7.1K
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
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Anatomy of the Ear01:16

Anatomy of the Ear

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Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea
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Morphological and Functional Evaluation of Ribbon Synapses at Specific Frequency Regions of the Mouse Cochlea

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Colossal ears? How baleen whales hear low-frequency sound.

Ted W Cranford1, Margaret A Morris2, Petr Krysl3

  • 1Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, 92182, USA.

Hearing Research
|October 28, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Baleen whales may hear low-frequency sounds using bone conduction. Their skulls act as acoustic antennas, transmitting vibrations to the ear, bypassing the need for large ear structures.

Keywords:
Amplified hearingBaleen whalesBone conduction hearingLong distance signalingLow-frequency soundMechanical amplificationMysticete auditionTympanoperiotic complex (TPC)

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Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Bioacoustics
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Baleen whales possess small ears relative to their body size, posing a challenge for hearing long-wavelength, low-frequency underwater sounds.
  • Previous research suggested bone conduction as a potential mechanism for low-frequency sound reception in fin whales.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and validate the bone conduction hypothesis for low-frequency hearing in mysticetes (baleen whales).
  • To elucidate the role of the skull and tympanoperiotic complex in sound reception and amplification.

Main Methods:

  • Physical vibroacoustic experiments were conducted on partially denuded gray whale skulls.
  • Computational modeling was previously used to simulate low-frequency hearing in fin whales.

Main Results:

  • Experiments confirmed that long-wavelength sounds induce skull vibrations.
  • These vibrations are amplified and transmitted to the tympanoperiotic complex, including bony pedicles, tympanic bullae, and middle ear ossicles.
  • The bony pedicles were identified as crucial for amplifying skull vibrations and transferring them to the inner ear's cochlea.

Conclusions:

  • The skull-driven pathway, involving skull vibration and amplification within the bony ear complex, is a key mechanism for low-frequency sound reception in baleen whales.
  • This mechanism provides insight into the auditory capabilities and natural history of mysticetes.