The presence of two types of hair cells, the inner and outer hair cells, in the organ of Corti was appreciated nearly a 100 years ago but the function of the two has only become clear in the last 20 ...

Millions of years ago marine animals had hearing organs that allowed them to detect sounds in the water. When land dwelling animals evolved they now had to detect environmental sounds that traveled ...

Eliene Augenbraun, D.O., Ph.D., is a lifelong science and health journalist whose mission is to make sense of complex concepts. She led ScienCentral, a broadcast television newsroom that supplied ...

Otoscopy is the first step in any hearing exam. It is a clinical procedure used to visually inspect the structures of the ear, specifically the external auditory canal, tympanic membrane, and some ...

There are many types of hearing loss, and the type depends on the part of the ear that is damaged. Conductive hearing loss. This happens when something prevents sound from entering through the outer ...

Ear care, or otology, specifically treats the structure and function of the ear. Ear conditions include hearing and balance disorders, damage or disease of the ear, tumors, and others (see below). Our ...

The outer ear is unique to mammals, but its evolutionary origin has remained a mystery. According to a study published in Nature from the USC Stem Cell lab of Gage Crump, this intricate coil of ...

A recent study has uncovered the surprising evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear, linking it to the gills of ancient fish and marine invertebrates. The research reveals that both structures ...

What Is a Conch Piercing? A conch piercing is an upper ear cartilage piercing that is done in either the upper or lower concha of your ear. Concha is the scientific name for the inner, cup-like part ...

Inner ear infections can cause certain parts of the inner ear to become inflamed. They can affect a person’s hearing and balance. They often occur when a person has a cold or flu, or if a middle ear ...

Some people use rubbing alcohol to treat various ear conditions, such as swimmers’ ear or middle and inner ear infections. Rubbing alcohol is also known as isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol. People ...