Science Alert
16 October 2022
Scientists have finally unraveled the structure of a mysterious protein complex inside the inner ear that enables hearing in humans.
To solve this decades-old puzzle, researchers needed to grow 60 million roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans), which use a very similar protein complex as humans do to sense touch.
As humans only have a tiny amount of this protein inside their inner ears, turning to another source was the only way the team could accumulate enough of the protein to study.