Fain (UCLA) describes the major discoveries that have shown how sensory signals are detected by the organs of the body. The text's focus is on transduction the ion channels, G proteins, enzymes, and second messengers that produce the responses of sensory cells. Fain describes transduction for auditory and visual receptors, as well as for other sensory systems that are less well understood, and summarizes what is known about the modulation of transduction during adaptation. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)