Professor Jun-Xian Shen, collaborating with the University of Illinois and the University of California, USA, showed for the first time that the concave-eared torrent frog is capable of producing high-frequency calls extending into the ultrasonic range (> 20 kHz), demonstrating that this non-mammalian vertebrate can use ultrasound for communication. This study on ultrasonic communication in frogs may provide clues for understanding why humans have ear canals and how the auditory systems of animals have evolved, and also inspire development of bionic technology for improving hearing. This work was published on Nature (2006,440(7082):333-336).