Cognitive function requires the coordination of neural activity across many scales, from
neurons and circuits to large-scale networks. As such, it is unlikely that an explanatory …

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 …

Organisms as diverse as microbes, roundworms, insects, and mammals detect and respond
to applied force. In animals, this ability depends on ionotropic force receptors, known as …

Many real-world systems undergo abrupt changes in dynamics as they move across critical
points, often with dramatic and irreversible consequences. Much existing theory on …

In the inner ear, the deflection of hair bundles, the sensory organelles of hair cells, activates
mechanically-gated channels (MGCs). Hair bundles monitor orientation of the head, its …

Modeling noisy oscillations of active systems is one of the current challenges in physics and
biology. Because the physical mechanisms of such processes are often difficult to identify …

Hair cells, the sensory receptors of the internal ear, subserve different functions in various
receptor organs: they detect oscillatory stimuli in the auditory system, but transduce constant …

Outer hair cells (OHCs) power the amplification of sound-induced vibrations in the
mammalian inner ear through an active process that involves hair-bundle motility and …

Natural swimmers rely for their survival on sensors that gather information from the
environment and guide their actions. The spatial organization of these sensors, such as the …