Abstract
Although ears capable of detecting airborne sound have arisen repeatedly and independently in different species, most animals that are capable of hearing have a pair of ears. We review the advantages that arise from having two ears and discuss recent research on the similarities and differences in the binaural processing strategies adopted by birds and mammals. We also ask how these different adaptations for binaural and spatial hearing might inform and inspire the development of techniques for future auditory prosthetic devices.
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Acknowledgements
Supported by UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council grant BB/D009758/1, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council grant EP/C010841/1, a European Union FP6 grant to J.W.H.S., and US National Institutes of Health grants DCD000436 to C.E.C. and P30 DC0466 to the University of Maryland Center for the Evolutionary Biology of Hearing.
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Schnupp, J., Carr, C. On hearing with more than one ear: lessons from evolution. Nat Neurosci 12, 692–697 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2325
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2325
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