Hearing

The ringing, rushing sound of tinnitus is a complex condition. It's caused by a range of factors, so there's no known one-size-fits-all treatment. But researchers are reporting excellent results with a combination treatment in a smartphone app.

A team of scientists exploring low-cost alternative for hearing aids has turned to Apple’s AirPods as a potential solution, assessing them alongside conventional hearing aids and finding they stack up surprisingly well.

Checking the hearing of newborns can be challenging, in that the infants can't tell you which sounds they do or don't hear. A new system offers an inexpensive solution to that problem, by utilizing a smartphone, earbuds and a simple microphone.

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.

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.

A newly published meta-analysis has uncovered 10 new genetic variants that contribute to age-related hearing loss. The findings indicate a part of the ear known as the stria vascularis may play a part in hearing impairment.

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.