Anyone who has watched a rat explore an object or environment knows that whiskers play a vital role in the inspection process. Unlike our hairs, whiskers are capable of discriminating between surfaces that differ ever so slightly in texture. With such finely tuned sensory abilities, it is clear that whiskers are more than overgrown hairs that respond to pressure changes. Instead, their acuity relies on a different mechanism. As recent work from two laboratories demonstrates, a whisker's mechanical resonance seems to hold the key to how a rat senses the world.
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