Hearing acrobatics

(Harvard Medical School) The sense of hearing is, quite literally, a molecular tightrope act. Turns out, it involves acrobatics as well. New research shows that a dynamic and delicate connection between two pairs of diminutive protein filaments plays a central role in in hearing.The findings present a new understanding of the molecular underpinnings of hearing, as well as the sense of balance, which arises from similar processes in the inner ear.