New Research Shows Neanderthals Had the Capacity to Perceive and Produce Human Speech
Neanderthals — the closest ancestor to modern humans — possessed the ability to perceive and produce human speech, according to a new study published by…
Hearing
First 3D Sound-Frequency Map for Inner Ear Created With Advanced X-ray Technology
Researchers at Uppsala University have created the first 3D map of the hearing nerve showing where the various sound frequencies are captured. Using what is…
Protein Discovery in the Development of New Hearing Hair Cells Could Lead to Treatments for Hearing Loss
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have conducted a study that has determined the role that a critical protein plays in…
Which COVID Face Masks Are Best for Speech Intelligibility and Student Comprehension?
As instructors continue to wear masks for the safety of themselves and their students, the question of which types of masks allow for the best…
Eye Position Affects Your Auditory Spatial Attention – Where to Look to Improve “Cocktail Party” Listening
Eye position has a modest but measurable impact on speech intelligibility within a cocktail party setting. Several acoustic studies have shown that the position of…
COVID-19 Is Making Tinnitus Worse – Hearing Loss May Be “Long COVID” Symptom
New research reveals that tinnitus, a common condition that causes the perception of noise in the ear and head, is being exacerbated by COVID-19 —…
Ultra-Low-Cost Hearing Aid – $1 Worth of Open Source Parts – Could Address Age-Related Hearing Loss Worldwide
Using a device that could be built with a dollar’s worth of open-source parts and a 3D-printed case, researchers want to help the hundreds of…
Developmental Map of Inner Ear Sound Sensor in Mice Charted for Stem Cell Therapies for Hearing Loss
Data offers valuable resource for developing stem cell-based therapies for hearing loss. A team of researchers has generated a developmental map of a key sound-sensing…
Mice Were Kept in the Dark for One Week – Their Brain Cell Networks Rewired and Hearing Sensitivity Changed
University of Maryland researchers showed sight deprivation changes how groups of neurons work together and alters their sensitivity to different frequencies. Scientists have known that…
Your Brain Has the Remarkable Ability to Hear One Voice in a Crowd – Here’s How It Works
Columbia-led study offers new insight into organization of brain’s listening center; provides roadmap for development of hearing-aid technologies inspired by the brain. Our brains have…
New Breakthrough on Human Hearing Disorders From an Unlikely Source: Zebrafish
Scientists gain understanding of mechanisms that determine growth patterns of tiny hair cells within the ear. A study of the genetic make-up of zebrafish has…
Hearing Loss Treatment Hope After New Genes Identified
A new study published today, September 26, 2019, in The American Journal of Human Genetics has identified 44 genes linked to age-related hearing loss giving…
Hearing Aids May Help Reduce Risks of Dementia, Depression, and Falls
Use of hearing aids was linked with lower risks of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, depression, anxiety, and injurious falls in an analysis of medical…
Scientists Discover Protein Responsible for Hearing and Balance
Scientists at Harvard Medical School say they have ended a 40-year-quest for the elusive identity of the sensor protein responsible for hearing and balance. The…
Children with Cochlear Implants Learn Words Faster Than Children With Normal Hearing
According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute, up to two thousand hearing impaired children are born in Germany each year. For some of them…
New Treatment Regenerates Hair Cells in the Inner Ear, Combats Hearing Loss
A team of researchers has discovered a drug combination that can regenerate hair cells in the inner ear, offering a potential new way to treat…
New Drug Cocktail Unlocks Potential to Regrow Inner-Ear ‘Hair’ Cells
A team of researchers has developed a new approach to replace damaged sound-sensing hair cells, which eventually may lead to therapies for people who live…
Newly Developed Drug Treatment Could Potentially Treat Hearing Loss
A team of scientists has discovered a combination of drugs that expands the population of progenitor cells in the ear and induces them to become…