Cochlea and Lateral Line relationship?

Hiya,

Can anyone tell me what the current perception of the evolutionary
relationship between the lateral line and the cochlea is please?

I've been googling for over an hour, and coming from a background of
almost total ignorance, it is difficult to make sense of the sometimes
contradictory statements I've come across.

Just out of interest, the reason I'm asking is cos of this recent
Nature news item:

"Why is our cochlea, the key organ of hearing, curled into a spiral?
It has been often thought to be a space-saving measure. But
researchers in the United States have shown that the spiral could be
vital for increasing our ear's sensitivity to sound, particularly at
low frequencies.

Daphne Manoussaki of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee,
and her colleagues believe that the snail-shell curve of the cochlea
focuses sound waves at the spiral's outer edge, making it easier for
vibration-sensitive cells to detect them1.

If the researchers are right, then the ear is more sophisticated than
we thought. "

http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060313/full/060313-2.html

I would be grateful for any advice or links :)
--

John Latter

Model of an Internal Evolutionary Mechanism:
http://members.aol.com/jorolat/TEM.html

'Where Darwin meets Lamarck?' Discussion Egroup:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evomech

Evolution Research Blog:
http://evomech.blogspot.com/

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Cochlea and Lateral Line relationship?
    ... read in "The Great Evolution Mystery" by Gordon Rattray Taylor ... lateral line system evolved into the spiral-shaped cochlea. ... and the inner ear is hazy" then that will do almost just as ... Bearing in mind how much faster the speed of sound is in water, ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Cochlea and Lateral Line relationship?
    ... "Why is our cochlea, the key organ of hearing, curled into a spiral? ... If the researchers are right, then the ear is more sophisticated than ... ear to that of modern mammals ... question whether there was a steady sequence in the evolution of the ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Cochlea and Lateral Line relationship?
    ... "Why is our cochlea, the key organ of hearing, curled into a spiral? ... If the researchers are right, then the ear is more sophisticated than ... question whether there was a steady sequence in the evolution of the ... But did the modern fish lateral line and the modern tetrapod auditory ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Why is the cochlea in our ears shaped like a spiral?
    ... Why is the cochlea in our ears shaped like a spiral? ... have calculated that the spiral shape can affect the wave mechanics ... vibrations produced by sound waves, ... ear where sound vibrations are converted into nerve impulses. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Why is the cochlea in our ears shaped like a spiral?
    ... Why is the cochlea in our ears shaped like a spiral? ... work by scientists in the US, the spiral shape makes us more sensitive ... vibrations produced by sound waves, ... The cochlea is a small seashell-shaped organ in the inner part of the ...
    (sci.physics)