Sound of locusts

The complex and highly sophisticated hearing of the locust is the inspiration for new research which could lead to the development of extremely sensitive microphones.

A multi-disciplinary team from Bristol University is applying a number of different technologies to investigate the workings of the extremely thin membranes in locusts' ears that process sound.

Research leader Prof Daniel Robert works in the university's bio nano-science department, which looks specifically at nano-scale events in biology. He said the research will allow scientists to not only better understand hearing but also to understand how the sensory cells in the ear operate in extremely fine detail.

According to Robert the main difference between the way insects process sound and the way man-made microphones pick it up is that insects convert the sound instantly into information.

'They do not process the soundwaves like an engineer would by using electronic processing,' he said. 'The very instant the sound reaches the membrane it is processed mechanically. The neurons themselves get frequency-specific information without having to analyse it at all. They uses the material properties of the eardrum to immediately convert the acoustic properties of the sound into mechanical properties.'