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High-Tech Hope for the Hard of Hearing
Article

High-Tech Hope for the Hard of Hearing

Scientists searching for ways to restore hearing have been making a number of promising discoveries.

David Owen
The New Yorker, 2017
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Scientific
  • Applicable

Recommendation

New Yorker staff writer David Owen provides a simple explanation of how and why hearing loss occurs. He reveals some scary realities – for example, hearing loss can happen more easily than you think – but he follows up with reassuring science and technology. Owen explores lab experiments that reverse deafness in mice and hearing aids that you can control with your smartphone. The news is largely positive, and options exist even for the more budget-conscious. getAbstract recommends Owen’s report to anyone affected by hearing loss.

Summary

An estimated 37 million adults in the United States suffer from some degree of hearing loss. Injury to either the tiny “hair cells” inside the ear or the nerve synapses to which they connect causes most cases, usually stemming from noise or aging. Damaged hair cells don’t regrow. The level and duration of a noise determine how damaging it is. Lawn mowers, rock concerts and subway trains can all produce potentially harmful noise. While many experts regard 85 or 90 decibels as the danger zone, just one exposure to a much louder noise – such as a gunshot at close range...

About the Author

David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker.

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