This book contains the proceedings of an intenational hearing-research conference held in Germany 2002. The conference brought together experts in genetics, molecular and cellular biology, physiology, engineering, physics, mathematics, audiology and medicine to synthesize and extend our understanding of how the cochlea works. Topics are discussed experimentally and theoretically at the molecular, cellular and whole-organ levels. Some of the topics are: mechanosensitivity of motor proteins; mechanochemical transduction by motor proteins; mechanoelectrical transduction in the stereocilia of hair cells; electromechanical transduction in the stereocilia, soma and synapses of hair cells; multidimensional vibration of the organ of Corti; and otoacoustic emissions. This book will be invaluable to researchers and students in auditory science. Contents: Stereocilia; Hair Cells; Whole-Organ Mechanics; Cochlear Models; Emissions; Comments and Discussions. Readership: Hearing scientists (including medical persons in otolaryngology), biophysicists and molecular' biologists, engineers interested in manufacturing silicon devices (MEMS), and persons interested in modelling biological systems.