An interesting article about a project from Stanford University was recently released detailing how the sensory "hair" cells in the inner ear are able to convert the mechanical energy of sound to an electrical impulse that is relayed to the brain through the hearing nerve. This occurs at a molecular level in which charged particles enter the cells through tiny channels. Researchers have theorized where these channels are, but with the application of technological advances in image capture, the Stanford team found that the channels are located in a place other than what was theorized. The researchers used technology that allowed them to capture 500 frames per second. For comparison, a standard digital camcorder captures images at 25 frames per second.
Although this does not have any direct impact in care of the ear, it does help guide researchers in the future in that they now know where the channels are located. Because the channels are important in sensitizing the ear to sound levels of the environment, further research into these channels may help us to understand how to prevent hearing loss.
This article illustrates the process in science in which technological advances can help us prove (or, in this case, disprove) theories about how our body functions. It also demonstrates how sophisticated the inner ear is
and how little we still understand about it's "inner" workings.