BEIJING, Oct. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- There is a tiny mechanism deep inside our ears that probably helps us hear whispers, a finding that could eventually help companies design better hearing aids and devices that restore hearing, researchers report.

Scientists examined the cochlea, a part of the inner ear where physical sound is translated into electrical signals for the brain.

Inside this coiled tube, sound waves glide along a thin membrane, known as the basilar membrane, causing hair-like fibers on the membrane to vibrate at different frequencies. Once stimulated, the fibers shoot out electrical pulses used by the brain determine the pitch of a sound.

Situated above the basilar membrane is the tectorial membrane, along which a different kind of sound wave travels. This wave, which bounces from side to side, can excite the hair cells and also enhance their sensitivity, which MIT researcher Roozbeh Ghaffari said may help explain how we can pick up on sounds that are as quiet as a whisper.

Ghaffari said this discovery has major implications for our understanding of how hearing works and potentially for hearing devices currently on the market.

"Most hearing aids we have now are terrible in that they just amplify and blast everything," Ghaffari said. "Our ears are smarter than that and know tricks that help us distinguish sounds. Having a better model for cochlear mechanics can lead to improved hearing aids and cochlear implants."

(Agencies)