Observatoire des droits humains (anglais seulement)

How mice ‘listen’ with their whiskers

(Version anglaise seulement)

par Tommi Anttonen, Postdoctoral research associate, University of Oxford

Oh no! You dropped your keys on the ground, and it is too dark to see them. You might have to feel the ground with your hands, but a mouse could use its whiskers to find the keys.

Mouse whiskers, also known as the vibrissa system, are long facial hairs which are sensitive to touch and allow mice to feel around their environment. As a whisker touches something, the sensory neurons at the hair follicle activate. These neurons send…

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