ear

Earlier this month, Ella, a three-year-old potbelly pig, entered into a surgical procedure at Oregon State University (OSU). Simultaneously, she entered the record books as the first pig to ever have undergone the complete removal of an ear canal.

In what’s described as a breakthrough decades in the making, scientists at Oregon State Health & Science University (OHSU) have revealed the inner ear architecture that converts vibrations into sound, in near-atomic detail.

The US FDA has established a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids. The move comes as part of a push by the US government to make healthcare more affordable, allowing millions of people to buy low-cost hearing aids without prescription.

Researchers at the Salk Institute have made a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for genetic hearing loss. Gene therapy that delivers a particular protein can ensure faulty hair cells grow correctly, allowing for improved hearing.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have used Bluetooth earbuds and a deep learning AI system to diagnose three common ear conditions with a simple, non-invasive audio test that uses a sonar-like audio chirp to map out the ear structure.

When rescuing avalanche victims or other people in cold, snowy outdoor conditions, it can be difficult to monitor their vital signs via traditional means. The MedSENS device was created with that fact in mind, as it simply goes in the ear and gets strapped to the head.

There may soon be new hope for patients born with genetic defects that leave them with misshapen or missing ears. A new human clinical trial will test an implant known as an AuriNovo, which uses a 3D-bioprinted ear grown from the patient’s own cells.

Scientists studying the mechanisms behind deafness have pinpointed a single gene they described as a type of master switch for cell differentiation, opening up exciting new possibilities around restoration of hearing.

Scientists have successfully used gene therapy to reverse genetic hearing loss in mice. The team corrected a gene mutation that affects sensory hair cells in the ear, and the new jigsaw-like method could help improve gene therapy for other disorders.

Eardrum perforations are painful, impair hearing and are tricky to repair. The PhonoGraft, developed at Harvard, is a 3D-printed implant that can patch up damage by encouraging natural cells to regrow, and now it’s ready for commercial production.

Bacterial infections of the middle ear are quite common, particularly in children, yet they can be difficult to treat. An experimental new device has been designed to help, by zapping the bacteria with plasma.

When someone is really intoxicated, they may not be very cooperative when told to blow into a breathalyzer. There could soon be a more passive but just as accurate alternative, though, in the form of an earmuff that measures blood alcohol levels.