Research
A row in Flanders over call for mandatory earplugs at concerts
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- Published on 02 December 2019
noise
A call by academics to make earplugs obligatory at music events has turned up the noise on both sides of the argument in Belgium, following a study showing that 75% of events do not meet noise standards.
Elastic electrodes ready to revolutionise hearing implants
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- Published on 03 November 2019
implants
A bendy implant material of silicone-covered platinum , with a surface area of just 0.25mm2, is now being prepared for human trials. Its developers see it replacing auditory brainstem hearing implants (ABI).
Smartphones provide "accurate" hearing screening in poor South African communities
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- Published on 03 November 2019
diagnosis
A smartphone screening system for both hearing and vision impairment has been running in South Africa. It was set up to bring early diagnosis to those whose low socioeconomic status denies them early diagnosis.
Deaf diagnosis on 430,000-year-old human incorrect, 3D tomography reveals
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- Published on 27 October 2019
archaeology
When the patient has been dead for around 430,000 years, it's a tricky diagnosis even for the best of hearing specialists, but an international research effort has cleared up a major lingering doubt on such cases.
Did chronic ear infections help kill off the Neanderthal?
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- Published on 15 October 2019
anthropology
A New York anthropological science study has suggested that something as commonplace to the modern manchild as middle ear infections were linked to the extinction of the archaic human species, Neanderthals.
Congenitally deaf have rewired brains - new teaching approaches needed
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- Published on 13 October 2019
brain
The profound deafness-causing mutation of the otoferlin protein also alters the growth and wiring of neurons crucial to the nervous system, claims newly published research that advances treatment prospects and better education for the deaf.
Insurance type, ethnicity, and primary language - all factors delaying hearing therapy for children
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- Published on 12 October 2019
health access
Being a non-white baby or having public rather than private insurance may delay access for children to the intended benefits of universal newborn hearing screening (NHS), a new study suggests.
Rich vocab heard from proficient speakers means better language skills for children
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- Published on 11 October 2019
language
The quality of speech and the patterns of language developed by children learning English is affected by the depth and proficiency of the vocabulary and grammar they hear in acquiring it, a new US study shows.
Is AI as good as the professional eye in diagnosing from medical imaging?
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- Published on 06 October 2019
diagnosis
Will deep learning algorithms eventually provide more reliable analyses of diagnostic tests than medical professionals? When it comes to medical imaging, a new meta-analysis cautiously concludes that the accuracy of AI diagnosis is now equivalent to that of trained doctors.
Hearing loss linked to delinquency in pre-teen Pacific kids
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- Published on 01 October 2019
society
An ethnically-based study by New Zealand researchers has related hearing impairment with moderate delinquency, underlining the serious social and economic impact of hearing disability on individuals and families.