One of the most important steps in the evolution of modern mammals was the development of highly sensitive hearing. The ...

D models of the jaw and associated middle ear bones of the Triassic mammal ancestor Thrinaxodon show that the switch to mammal-like hearing with an eardrum evolved much earlier than previously thought ...

Use of the chinchilla as a model of middle ear infection in auditory research necessitates accessing the middle ear to collect samples or inoculate bacteria. This column describes a simple technique ...

One of the most amazing transitions and innovations during the evolution of mammals was the formation of a novel jaw joint and the incorporation of the original jaw joint into the middle ear to create ...

Active middle ear implants (AMEIs) have emerged as a pivotal advancement in the field of auditory rehabilitation. These devices, which convert electrical signals into mechanical vibrations, are ...

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 ...

Ear tube surgery, or tympanostomy surgery, aims to reduce chronic fluid buildup behind the eardrums. This can reduce the frequency of middle ear infections. It may also improve hearing. Ear tube ...

Babies and toddlers who need a tracheostomy -- a tube surgically inserted into their windpipe to help relieve breathing problems -- are at a high risk of accumulating fluid behind their eardrum when ...

The entire inner ear and the neurons that innervate it derive from a simple piece of embryonic ectoderm next to the hindbrain called the otic placode. This ectoderm thickens, invaginates and folds up ...