NP: The crying of 49 neurons

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

          Researchers trained monkeys to locate a light flashed on 
          a screen. When the light was very bright, they easily 
          found it; when it was dim, it took a long time. But if a dim 
          light made a brief sound, the monkeys found it in no time 
          - too quickly, in fact, than can be explained by the old 
          theories.

          Recordings from 49 neurons responsible for the earliest 
          stages of visual processing, researchers found activation 
          that mirrored the behavior. That is, when the sound was 
          played, the neurons reacted as if there had been a 
          stronger light, at a speed that can only be explained by a 
          direct connection between the ear and eye brain regions, 
          said researcher Ye Wang of the University of Texas in 
          Houston.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080818/sc_livescience/scientistssaywecanseesound;_ylt=Aguwm_ycEK_1SFPFjHjKuVSs0NUE