Prevailing dogma is that…to hear in the far field, an animal needs an eardrum that registers changes in pressure. It would then follow that insects such as the mosquito could not hear over any distance because their hearing happens through detecting particle velocity via antennae. That is right. Mosquitos and other insects hear when the movement of air particles moves their antenna, firing neurons connected to the root of the antennae.
A recent report in Current Biology reports that this is indeed a myth. Experiments on the mosquito species Aedes aegypti show with much certainty that these insects can hear from as far as 10 meters. Not only is far-field hearing very much a reality for these insects, the frequency range of their hearing matches rather well with that of the human voice. Direct recordings from the neuron under the mosquito’s antenna were used to document this sensitivity and frequency range. These findings are likely to further engineering innovations leading to a new kind of microphone that does not have to depend on a pressure sensing diaphragm.
In the meantime, if you do not like mosquito bites, shut up because they can hear you.
Reference
Menda G, Eyal I. Nitzany P, Shamble A, Harrington L, Miles R, Hoy R. (2019) The Long and Short of Hearing in the Mosquito Aedes aegypti. Current Biology. February 7.
Recent Posts
Academy Recognizes First Distinguished Fellows of the American Academy of Audiology (DFAAA)
The American Academy of Audiology is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of Distinguished Fellows of the American Academy of Audiology (DFAAA), a prestigious honor…
The Government Is Shutdown, Now What?
Congress has failed to avert a government shutdown. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to face significant workforce reductions across its…
Meet the Academy Board of Directors
The American Academy of Audiology is proud to announce its Board of Directors, a group of dedicated leaders guiding the profession forward and ensuring the…