Flask-shaped & cylindrical neurons

[melissa]

Question: I was really torn on this one, because I knew about the rods & cones (my mother has low vision & no longer sees colors), but I thought hair also had the same neurons. I just checked, and found more than one back up on the answer of hair. Here's a couple:

http://www.neurophys.wisc.edu/h&b/textbook/chap-5.html

http://www.springerlink.com/content/6uay2wmbp9ed1dlf/


Am I completely out of the ballpark, or ???

[Ken Jennings]

It looks like the sensory hair in the inner ears does indeed have nerve cells that come in rod and cone shapes. That's cool, never knew that.

If you put "ear hair" or "inner ear" or something for the answer, I guess it's right. I'm torn on whether I'd buy "hair" though, since I'm guessing that the vast majority of your hair isn't sensory at all.

[melissa]

So I'm guessing that having sensual hair doesn't cut any ice?

[melissa]

Just wanted to add that I had a long talk with my mother's eye doctor the other day, and not only did he agree with you, but he's very much a fan of yours, Ken!

[Ken Jennings]

Awesome! "People's mom's ear doctors" is one of my key demographics.