hearing

13 Stories

Can't Stand Certain Sounds? You're Not Crabby, There's a Diagnosis

Once dismissed as quirky, misophonia is gaining legitimacy

(Newser) - If the sound of someone slurping soup or clicking a pen makes your skin crawl, you might have misophonia—a little-known condition that's finally getting a name and some scientific attention. The term, which literally means "hatred of sound," was coined in the early 2000s, but it...

Deaf Nonprofit Sues White House Over MIA Interpreters

National Association of the Deaf says WH should make sign language available once more for events

(Newser) - A deaf advocacy nonprofit has filed a complaint against the White House over the latter's sudden removal of sign language interpreters at press conferences and other public events since President Trump once again assumed the Oval Office in January. "Defendants are now denying hundreds of thousands of deaf...

Final Text From Doomed Titan: 'All Good Here'

Coast Guard opens 2-week hearing on causes of submersible's implosion

(Newser) - The final message from OceanGate's doomed Titan submersible was fleetingly correct as the crew descended to the wreck of the Titanic: "All good here," read the text to the Polar Prince support ship at the surface above. That response came after a query about whether the Titan...

Gene Therapy Offers 'Astounding' Results in Deaf Kids

Small group of children in China see marked improvement in hearing after a gene mutation fix

(Newser) - A handful of children in China are experiencing sound for the first time, thanks to scientists who employed gene therapy to help alleviate their hereditary hearing issues. The Guardian reports on the "astounding" research, published Wednesday in Nature Medicine , in which doctors at Shanghai's Fudan University treated five...

Wearing Hearing Aids Could Be a Lifesaver
Wearing Hearing Aids
Could Be a Lifesaver
NEW STUDY
Jan 13, 2024 7:45 AM CST

Wearing Hearing Aids Could Be a Lifesaver

Study found the devices could reduce risk of early death by 24%

(Newser) - People with hearing loss overwhelmingly opt not to wear hearing aids, but a new study makes a strong case for scheduling a trip to the ENT. While the benefits hearing aids can contribute to long-term health have long been established, research now suggests that people who wear them are more...

We Like Hearing Nice Sounds in Our Left Ears
Want to Whisper Something
Nice? Use the Left Ear
New Study
May 28, 2023 4:00 PM CDT

Want to Whisper Something Nice? Use the Left Ear

Researchers find a pronounced preference through brain scans

(Newser) - If you've ever noticed a subtle bias toward your left ear when enjoying some pleasant singing or the mellifluous voice of your favorite podcaster, it's not just you. IFL cites a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience that details how a team of Swiss researchers discovered that our...

It'll Feel Like Eating Pop Rocks, but Your Tinnitus May Improve

Researchers say bimodal neuromodulation device shocks tongue to reduce ringing in ears

(Newser) - Scientists say they've come up with a noninvasive device that can help alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus , a perception of noise or ringing in the ears. In the study in the Science Translational Medicine journal cited by Scientific American , the researchers say the bimodal neuromodulation contraption achieves this by...

Friend's Stepfather Traps Teen Girl in 'Living Nightmare'

'When I hear a noise, I feel like I’m being stabbed in the ear'

(Newser) - What 14-year-old Cindy Redmond calls her "living nightmare" started a year ago at a friend's kitchen table in Delaware. Her friend's stepfather, annoyed that he had to ask Cindy twice to get off her phone, unleashed an air horn into her ears. Nothing has been the same...

Spiders Can Hear You 'Walking and Talking'
Spiders Can
Hear You
'Walking and
Talking'
New Study
Oct 13, 2016 5:30 PM CDT

Spiders Can Hear You 'Walking and Talking'

Researchers find spiders can sense sound from up to 16 feet away

(Newser) - If you're already scared of spiders, you're not going to like this next part. A new study published Thursday in Current Biology found that spiders—specifically a species of jumping spider—can hear sounds from further than 10 feet away. Previously, scientists believed spiders, which lack eardrums, could...

Concentrating Really Does Make You Go 'Deaf'

Brain's association cortex chooses whether to hear or see

(Newser) - Here's proof that you aren't just ignoring your spouse: A new study out of University College London finds you can become temporarily deaf when focusing on a visual task, like reading a book, watching TV, or perusing your smartphone, reports Tech Times . "In order to hear, we...

Bats Are Like Humans in One Remarkable Way

Both species listen with both hemispheres of their brains

(Newser) - Humans were thought to be unique as a species in that we use both halves of our brains to "distinguish different aspects of sound," as Georgetown neuroscientist Stuart Washington puts it. Turns out we're not as special as we thought. A type of bat also displays this...

Attorneys: Vegas Shooting Wasn't Road Rage

Lawyers for Erich Nowsch, 19, say it was likely self-defense

(Newser) - Lawyers of the accused say it wasn't road rage, but nor do they offer an alternate theory. Appearing in court today with their client, 19-year-old Erich Nowsch—who allegedly gunned down a suburban mom in Las Vegas on Feb. 12—lawyers said they plan to look over video evidence...

Feds: Deaf Housing Complex Discriminates Vs. Non-Deaf

HUD squabbles with Arizona over funding

(Newser) - Packed with state-of-the-art equipment focused on the needs of the deaf, a new Arizona housing facility was seen as a step forward for the Southwest. Instead, it's become a lightning rod, reports the New York Times , as federal and state officials feud over alleged discrimination at the complex. As...

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