The cochlea provides a biological information-processing paradigm that we
only begin to under- stand in its full complexity. Our work reveals an
interacting network of strongly nonlinear dynami- cal nodes, on which even
simple sound input triggers subnetworks of activated elements that follow
power-law size statistics ('avalanches'). From dynamical systems theory,
power-law size distribu- tions relate to a fundamental ground-state of
biological information processing. Learning destroys these power laws. These
results strongly modify the models of mammalian sound processing and provide a
novel methodological perspective for understanding how the brain processes
information.Comment: Videos are not included, please ask author
