Hearing is the gateway to verbal communication. It commences with the capture of sound energy by the ear’s sensory receptors, called hair cells, which convert that energy into electrical signals that the brain can interpret. Unique among our sensory receptors, the hair cell is not a passive recipient of stimuli, but instead uses an active process to enhance the input it receives—amplifying acoustical stimuli, sharpening frequency selectivity, and broadening the range of audible sounds. In conversation with Emmy Award-winning journalist Frank Sesno, the Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, 2018 Kavli Prize Laureate in Neuroscience Dr. Jim Hudspeth will discuss the ear’s operation and efforts to restore hearing by regenerating hair cells.
Dr. Jim Hudspeth: Director, F.M. Kirby Center for Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; 2018 Kavli Prize Laureate in Neuroscience
Co-hosted by the Carnegie Institution for Science with The Kavli Foundation, the Royal Embassy of Norway, and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The Kavli Prize is a partnership between The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation (United States), and The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.
