And, in future studies, the researchers plan to listen directly for acoustic waves, using a network of hydrophones first intended to monitor for nuclear explosions.
In this case, when this is placed in front of an ultrasonic speaker, the acoustic waves push small particles floating in the water into place, revealing the dove.
By tracking the variations in the speed of the acoustic waves inside the Sun, it was possible to infer the changes in density in the interior of the Sun.
The new study instead uses a natural sound source for investigation: earthquakes rumbling beneath the seafloor off the coast of Sumatra that drum up acoustic waves in the ocean.
And, most importantly, a back-and-forth motion of the hair bundle, as ensues during the application of acoustic waves, alternately opens and closes the channel, and each opening admits millions and millions of ions into the cell.
By the end of the 20th century, the Sun's acoustic waves had also helped solve a longstanding conundrum with the flux of solar neutrinos, a type of fundamental particle created in the fusion reactions at the hearts of stars.