Characterization of auditory sensation in .

Research using the model organism nematode has greatly facilitated our understanding of sensory biology, including touch, olfaction, taste, vision and proprioception. While hearing had long been considered to be restricted to vertebrates and some arthropods, we recently discovered that is capable of sensing and responding to airborne sound in a frequency and sound source-size-dependent manner. auditory sensation occurs when airborne sound physically vibrates their external cuticle (skin) to activate the sound-sensitive mechanosensory FLP/PVD neurons via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), triggering aversive phonotaxis behavior.