德国马克斯·普朗克智能系统研究所Katherine J. Kuchenbecker团队近日取得一项新成果。经过不懈努力，他们探明了大象胡须的功能梯度有助于触觉感知。该研究于2026年2月12日发表于国际一流学术期刊《科学》杂志上。

该研究组研究了覆盖在亚洲象鼻子上的胡须，发现它们在几何和机械上都是定制的，通过在胡须基部感受到的振动触觉信号的振幅和频率来编码接触位置，从而促进触觉感知。大象的胡须从盔甲般的躯干皮肤上长出来，从厚的、圆形的、有孔的、坚硬的基部变成薄的、卵形的、浓密的、柔软的尖端。这些几何、孔隙度和刚度的功能梯度独立调节象鼻触觉的神经力学，以促进高度灵巧的操作，同时确保须的耐用性。

据了解，角蛋白复合物使动物能够用蹄子行走，用羽毛飞行，用皮肤感知。哺乳动物的胡须是细长的角蛋白棒，附着在触觉皮肤结构上，扩大了动物的感觉体积。

附：英文原文

Title: Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers

Author: Andrew K. Schulz, Lena V. Kaufmann, Lawrence T. Smith, Deepti S. Philip, Hilda David, Jelena Lazovic, Michael Brecht, Gunther Richter, Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Issue&Volume: 2026-02-12

Abstract: Keratin composites enable animals to hike with hooves, fly with feathers, and sense with skin. Mammalian whiskers are elongated keratin rods attached to tactile skin structures that extend the animal’s sensory volume. We investigated the whiskers that cover Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) trunks and found that they are geometrically and mechanically tailored to facilitate tactile perception by encoding contact location in the amplitude and frequency of the vibrotactile signal felt at the whisker base. Elephant whiskers emerge from armored trunk skin and shift from a thick, circular, porous, stiff base to a thin, ovular, dense, soft tip. These functional gradients of geometry, porosity, and stiffness independently tune the neuromechanics of elephant trunk touch to facilitate highly dexterous manipulation while ensuring whisker durability.

DOI: adx8981

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx8981