Hearing in the news

The Easiest Place to Use CRISPR Might Be in Your Ear
Scientist are examining the use of CRISPR, gene-editing technology, directly in the ear to treat hereditary hearing loss.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608899/the-easiest-place-to-use-crispr-might-be-in-your-ear/

Vision and Hearing Loss are Tied to Cognitive Decline 
A cause-and-effect relationship has yet to be established between vision, hearing loss and cognitive decline however, evidence suggesting that uncorrected deficits in vision and hearing can accelerate cognitive decline is increasing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/well/vision-and-hearing-loss-are-tied-to-cognitive-decline.html 

Noise is harder on children than adults, and it hinders how they learn
HADL collaborator, Dr. Lori Leibold, and data collected in our lab is featured in this article which describes how a child’s environment can affect their language development and tips you can implement in the home to improve your child’s listening environment.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b959e636aaa046b0b2ec064502ba922c/noise-harder-children-adults-hinders-how-they-learn

The most powerful thing we could give poor kids is completely free
Dana Suskind’s Thirty Million Words initiative is looking at how low-income parents talk to their kids and the effects of early exposure to language on children’s brain development. Parents have the power to shape their babies’ brains by communicating often and intentionally.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/03/the-most-powerful-thing-we-could-give-poor-kids-is-completely-free/

White Noise Delays Auditory Organization in the Brain
http://www.hhmi.org/news/white-noise-delays-auditory-organization-brain

This simple illusion shows that you can literally hear with your eyes
The brain processes sensory information that comes from our eyes and ears, but what happens when that information is conflicting? Watch this video and learn more!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/06/this-simple-illusion-shows-that-you-can-literally-hear-with-your-eyes/

Researchers find how different neurons work together to reduce responses to frequent sounds
In everyday life, some sounds are expected, but others are unexpected. The brain works to heighten our sensitivity to rare, unexpected sounds and reduce our sensitivity to familiar sounds. This is called the “stimulus-specific adaptation”. A recent discovery has allowed scientists to look deeper into how neurons are working together to accomplish this complex task.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20151012/Researchers-find-how-different-neurons-work-together-to-reduce-responses-to-frequent-sounds.aspx

The World Heard by Hominins 2 Million Years Ago
This article talks about the hearing abilities of our earliest ancestors. Turns out, they heard the world a little differently than we do now!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/science/the-world-heard-by-hominins.html

Maladaptive plasticity in tinnitus- triggers, mechanisms and treatment
Tinnitus is the perception of ringing in the ears, which reduces quality of life for millions of people worldwide and currently has no medical cure. Animal studies have found neural changes in the auditory cortex and other regions of the brain that are associated with tinnitus. New therapeutic approaches target the underlying neural changes responsible for tinnitus.
http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/v12/n3/full/nrneurol.2016.12.html