Robert Galambos
Encyclopedia
Robert Carl Galambos was an American neuroscientist
whose pioneering research demonstrated how bats use echolocation
for navigation purposes, as well as studies on how sound is processed in the brain.
Galambos was born on April 20, 1914, in Lorain, Ohio
, and was awarded his undergraduate and master's degrees in the field of zoology
from Oberlin College
, with earthworm locomotion as the subject of his master's dissertation, He attended Harvard University
, where he was awarded a Ph.D. based on his research on bats. At Harvard, Galambos performed experiments for the military on the relationship between the shock waves from explosions and hearing loss. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and interned at Emory University Hospital
. After working as a researcher at Harvard, he partnered with future Nobel Prize winner David H. Hubel
at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
, where they studied how cats respond to unexpected sounds.
In the late 1930s, Galambos worked with Donald Griffin on studies of animal echolocation
. Using sound capture technology that had been developed by physicist G. W. Pierce
, Galambos and Pierce were able to determine that bats generate and hear sounds an octave
higher than can be heard by humans and other animals. Experiments they conducted used methods developed by Hallowell Davis
to monitor the brains of bats and their hearing responses as they navigated their way past wires suspended from a laboratory ceiling. They showed how bats used echolocation to accurately avoid obstacles, which they were unable to do if their mouths or ears were kept shut. Griffin coined the term "echolocation" in 1944 to describe the phenomenon, which many physiologists of the day could not believe was possible.
Using electrode
s implanted in the brains of animals, Galambos was able to use electronic amplifiers to boost the signals of a single nerve to follow the impulses that travel from the ear to the brain in response to auditory stimuli, which allowed him to track how neuron
s respond to the presence (or absence) of sound at a particular frequency. This research allowed for the development of hearing tests for infants which could be performed by monitoring the brain's response directly to sounds, and could then be used to prescribe hearing aids. The research led to the development of auditory brainstem implant
s and cochlear implant
s which could be surgically implanted to allow individuals to regain the ability to hear for the profoundly deaf. With John S. O'Brien, he co-founded the department of neuroscience
at the University of California, San Diego
, and continued his research there after he was required to retire at age 67.
Galambos was inducted in 1960 as a member of the National Academy of Sciences
and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
Galambos died at age 96 on June 18, 2010, of congestive heart failure
at his home in La Jolla, San Diego, California
. He was survived by his third wife, Phyllis Johnson. He was also survived by three daughters from his first marriage, to Jeannette Wright Stone, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His second wife, Carol Armstrong Schulman predeceased him.
Neuroscientist
A neuroscientist is an individual who studies the scientific field of neuroscience or any of its related sub-fields...
whose pioneering research demonstrated how bats use echolocation
Animal echolocation
Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
for navigation purposes, as well as studies on how sound is processed in the brain.
Galambos was born on April 20, 1914, in Lorain, Ohio
Lorain, Ohio
Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland....
, and was awarded his undergraduate and master's degrees in the field of zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, with earthworm locomotion as the subject of his master's dissertation, He attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he was awarded a Ph.D. based on his research on bats. At Harvard, Galambos performed experiments for the military on the relationship between the shock waves from explosions and hearing loss. He earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and interned at Emory University Hospital
Emory University Hospital
Emory University Hospital is a 587-bed facility in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in the care of the acutely ill adult. Emory University Hospital is staffed exclusively by Emory University School of Medicine faculty who also are members of The Emory Clinic...
. After working as a researcher at Harvard, he partnered with future Nobel Prize winner David H. Hubel
David H. Hubel
David Hunter Hubel is the John Franklin Enders Professor of Neurobiology, Emeritus, at Harvard Medical School. He was co-recipient with Torsten Wiesel of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system; the prize was...
at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
This article is about the U.S. Army medical research institute . Otherwise, see Walter Reed .The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense...
, where they studied how cats respond to unexpected sounds.
In the late 1930s, Galambos worked with Donald Griffin on studies of animal echolocation
Animal echolocation
Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
. Using sound capture technology that had been developed by physicist G. W. Pierce
G. W. Pierce
George Washington Pierce was an American physicist. He was a professor of physics at Harvard University and inventor in the development of electronic telecommunications....
, Galambos and Pierce were able to determine that bats generate and hear sounds an octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
higher than can be heard by humans and other animals. Experiments they conducted used methods developed by Hallowell Davis
Hallowell Davis
Hallowell Davis was an American physiologist and otolaryngologist and researcher who did pioneering work on the physiology of hearing and the inner ear. He served as director of research at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St...
to monitor the brains of bats and their hearing responses as they navigated their way past wires suspended from a laboratory ceiling. They showed how bats used echolocation to accurately avoid obstacles, which they were unable to do if their mouths or ears were kept shut. Griffin coined the term "echolocation" in 1944 to describe the phenomenon, which many physiologists of the day could not believe was possible.
Using electrode
Electrode
An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit...
s implanted in the brains of animals, Galambos was able to use electronic amplifiers to boost the signals of a single nerve to follow the impulses that travel from the ear to the brain in response to auditory stimuli, which allowed him to track how neuron
Neuron
A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...
s respond to the presence (or absence) of sound at a particular frequency. This research allowed for the development of hearing tests for infants which could be performed by monitoring the brain's response directly to sounds, and could then be used to prescribe hearing aids. The research led to the development of auditory brainstem implant
Auditory brainstem implant
An Auditory Brain Stem Implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf, due to sensorineural hearing impairment .The auditory brain stem implant uses similar technology as the cochlear implant, but...
s and cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
s which could be surgically implanted to allow individuals to regain the ability to hear for the profoundly deaf. With John S. O'Brien, he co-founded the department of neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, and continued his research there after he was required to retire at age 67.
Galambos was inducted in 1960 as a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.
Galambos died at age 96 on June 18, 2010, of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
at his home in La Jolla, San Diego, California
La Jolla, San Diego, California
La Jolla is an affluent, hilly seaside resort community, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean in Southern California within the northern city limits of San Diego. La Jolla had the highest home prices in the nation in 2008 and 2009; the average price of a standardized...
. He was survived by his third wife, Phyllis Johnson. He was also survived by three daughters from his first marriage, to Jeannette Wright Stone, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His second wife, Carol Armstrong Schulman predeceased him.