The Hearing Knowledge Hub

Could we one day regenerate damaged hearing? A new study has identified key gene regulators that enable some deafened animals — including fish and lizards — to naturally regenerate their hearing. The findings could guide future efforts to help patients with hearing loss.  The study by researchers at the University of Southern California focuses on two cell types in the inner ear: the sensory cells that detect sound, and the supporting cells that create an environment where sensory cells can thrive. In regenerative species such as fish and lizards, supporting cells can transform into replacement sensory cells if they’re damaged. This is something that mammals, including humans, can’t do. The…

A reminder that it is your brain that hears, not your ears! The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says the latest figures on life expectancy show a continued trend of living longer for both men and women. Boys born in the UK in 2023 can expect to live on average to the age of 86.7, and girls to 90. While this is obviously a cause for celebration, it did start us thinking about the knock-on effects and the health conditions we’ll face as more of us live well into our eighties and nineties. Age-related hearing loss is one of the most prevalent health conditions in older adults. It’s thought that,…

World Hearing Day 2025 Every year in March, the World Health Organization (WHO) holds World Hearing Day – raising awareness of how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care worldwide.  This year’s theme is about empowerment – empowering yourself and those around you to take action on your hearing care. That might look like preventing damage to your hearing by using hearing protection, getting your hearing checked if you’re concerned about hearing loss, supporting people living with hearing loss, and using hearing technology, like hearing aids, if you’re struggling to keep up with the conversations around you. Unfortunately there’s still some stigma surrounding hearing loss.…

Since the 1960s, a strange, repetitious quacking noise has been frequently heard in the Southern Ocean. Dubbed the ‘bio-duck’, it’s been puzzling marine biologists and underwater acoustic experts for decades. The sound was first recorded in the early 1980s in the South Fiji Basi – four bursts of quack-like noises which scientists had also reported in the waters around New Zealand and Australia. Ross Chapman from the University of Victoria is an expert in underwater acoustics and wants to understand the biological function of the sound. He and his team have recorded these sounds using an acoustic antenna, an array of hydrophones towed behind a ship. This whales species’ songs…

The festive period and new year are often about meeting new people at events and parties – often in noisy situations. If you or a loved one live with hearing loss, understanding what those people are saying to you – particularly if they’re not familiar to you – can be a struggle. But a new study from researchers at University College London (UCL) suggests that practising listening to voices of people you regularly encounter could improve your communication in everyday environments. A new form of brain training The UCL study tested whether learned voices were easier to understand than unfamiliar voices in 20 older (55-73 years) and 20 younger (18-34 years)…