Discovery Provides New Fundamental Knowledge About The Mechanisms Of Hearing

The sensory cells of the inner ear have tiny hairs called stereocilia that play a critical part in hearing. It has long been known that these stereocilia move sideways back and forth in a wave-like motion when stimulated by a sound wave. After having designed a microscope to observe these movements, a research team at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has discovered that the hairs not only move sideways but also change in length...
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Discovery That Spider Glue Is Tailored With Two Functions Will Likely Lead To Medical Applications

While the common house spider may be creepy, it also has been inspiring researchers to find new and better ways to develop adhesives for human applications such as wound healing and industrial-strength tape. Think about an adhesive suture strong enough to heal a fractured shoulder and that same adhesive designed with a light tackiness ideal for "ouch-free" bandages. University of Akron polymer scientists and biologists have discovered that this house spider - in order to more efficiently capture different types of prey - performs an uncommon feat...
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