Serenading Cells

Cells can “hear” and respond to sounds

- Simon Makin

THE CELLS IN YOUR EARS aren't the only ones listening: recent research suggests that crucial cells throughout the body may respond to audible sound. Experiments described in Communications Biology revealed more than 100 genes whose activity changed in response to these acoustic waves, pointing to possible medical applications.

Extensive earlier research has shown that ultrasound—frequencies higher than human beings can hear—can affect biology in various ways; the new research expands this concept to audible sounds that require no special equipment to produce.